Novacaine for Scruples: Don't Try This at Home

WELCOME ABOARD

I created this site to share thoughts & feelings, insights - profane and pedestrian alike - politics, humor, history, linquistics & the arts.

My other passion at this stage of my life is for Genealogy and family research..

email Charles at charles3miller@gmail.com

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The running content on the right is broken up into sections: politics, humor, poems&literature, linquistics, food and Bob Dylan.

Overview of content below:

Politics
I am attuned to politics and unabashidly liberal. I cried in happy gratitude when Obama won the election. I follow politics on TV but am also an avid reader online of the Washington Post, POLITICO, The Nation, NY Times, Mother Jones, and Huffington Post to name a few.

I welcome political debate, but am not the least bit interested in exchanging insipid talking points. Politics is not entertainment, not to me.
umor - FUNNY HA! HA!

I post jokes etc. under the right-hand tag, FUNNY HA! HA!
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If you have personal funny stories I'd love to hear about them and post them here, you'll get all the credit.philosophy on humor: (true story)

I once went on a date with a man I was very anxious to impress. During the meal a fly became pesky and buzzed around the table top. In an attempt at humor I snapped my teeth at the fly, immitating a dog we'd seen earlier in the day.

You guessed it. I caught and severed the juicey little number between my front teeth, the head half fell to the white table cloth and whirled around in a death dance. I spit out the bottom half, politely of course, into my napkin, then let out a howl of laughter, (hmmm, not so polite). (and truth be told, I was attempting to dislodge any recalcitrant fly wings or legs that may still reside in my oracle piehole).

Jeffery didn't bat an eyelash, no smile, no comment. Too bad, I'd just been thinking he was a real man's man because he didn't raise his pinky while sipping tea. I haven't heard from him since the floods in New Orleans.

I ended the date as soon as possible. Life's too short to spend time with someone who doesn't find that incident laughable, worth at least a smile or an umph!

So, if you don't find humor in that story, log off now because it probably won't get any better for you than that!S & LITERATURE

I enjoy literature, music and visual arts. I've included some of my favorite written words under POEMS & LITERATURE below.

Visuals and music will most often be posted in the main blogging section on the left. Bob Dylan deserves and get's his own catagory, because, well, he's Bob Dylan for cryin-outloud!nquistics - WORD

You'll find my postings regarding linquistics under WORD in the box below. I don't have any formal training in this topic, but I find the origin and use of words, idioms and phrases to be very interesting.

Under the surface words and phrases reveal much about how we think and what we believe as a society and as people.

I'm fond of saying, "Words are thoughts made tangible". The act of learning, forming and using words actually drives & dictates how and what we think. The brain, as it forms (formats?) accomodates this type of learning; so literally, learning how we think and how language & speech impact how we think designs the brain we end up with.

Catch my comments on curious phrases and cultural references, e.g., tilting at windmills, Machiavellian, and 'beyond the pail'.

-- and my latest inquiry, "Why a pair of pants?" I'll explore that phrase of speech in the days ahead.

MANGIARE!
share recepies. I'm a foodie, an eater and a cooker. I'll post my fav's here.

BOOKS I'D READ AGAIN

MOVIES WORTH SEEING

Bob Dylan

WORD

8/1/09.
I've never been acused of being 'high brow':

Now I know none of you will admit it, but don't we all forget now & again, how to pronounce this stuff? You use it a few times a year and then the data slips away ... well, speaking only for myself of course.

Here it is, the PRONUNSEPHICATIATION FOR WORSCHETERSHIRSHITSHIRLOCK-I-DUNNO SAUCE, from our trusted friends at Encarta:

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861713979/Worcestershire_sauce.html

July 30, 2009

What does Blue Dog Democrat mean?

Who are the Blue Dog Democrats? In theory, they are a caucus of moderate to conservative Democrats in the House, most of them hailing from rural and suburban swing districts. As Republican members melted away in 2006 and 2008, many were replaced by Blue Dogs, who essentially promised to be like Republicans, only anti-war and protectionist and economically populist.

from TheBeast online newsblog
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A Pair of Pants? Why always with the Pair of? Here's an explaination from Smokey Stover, a contributor from the blogosphere:

The shortest answer is that "pant" refers to a trouser leg, or pantleg, and since they alwa;ys come in twos, the usual word is pants.

One historical change is that some garments that started out with long pantlegs have had them shortened in increments in successive periods. Thus, at one time (18th-early 19th cent.) some women wore an undergarment with long, loose pantlegs under their long skirts. These were called pantaloons. As skirts got shorter, so did the garments underneath. In the 1930s women wore an undergarment with loose pantlegs gathered at the knee, somewhat resembling the general character of men's knickerbockers, which English ladies naturally called knickers. American women called them "Bloomers," after Amelia Bloomer who promoted the garment, although she didn't invent it. And they soon started getting shorter, too, so that what was left was so abbreviated that the pantlegs were only nominal, and the garment was given a name indicating the abbreviation, "panties," almost always used int he plural except in the garment trade. And you know the rest.

When the garment lost the pantlegs altogether it continued to be called "panties," and when syntactic agreement was required, the plural continued to be used. "I keep my panties in a separate drawer".

Men's pants usually still have pantlegs. A bathing suit for men is not called "pants," but rather a bathing suit. Sometimes, in the garment called "shorts," not just "short" the pantlegs have become so short as to be almost imaginary, but that's not usually the case. In men's underwear the type called boxer shorts has definite pantlegs. The type sometimes called "briefs" used, sometimes to be called "BVDs," after a popular brand. These garments continue to be, grammatically, plural.

The word pants has a long history. It came to the English from the French, who had adopted some of the characters of the Italian [i]commedia dell'arte[/i] (16th-18th c.}, including one called "Pantalon." He was called, in Italian, Pantaleone, and was a kind of old fool, speaking Venetian dialect and wearing a grament with long trouser-legs. Such a name for one representing a typical Venetian was natural, since Pantalone or Pantaleone had become a common Venetian surname, probably because San Pantaleone was the patron saint of Venice (at least from the 10th century).
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superlative

su·per·la·tive [ soo púrlətiv ]
adjective

Definition:
1. excellent: of the highest quality or degree
2. grammar highest in degree of comparison: expressing the highest degree of grammatical comparison of an adjective or adverbThe superlative form of an adjective or adverb typically has the ending "-est."
noun (plural su·per·la·tives)

Definition:
1. grammar grammatical form: the grammatical form of an adjective or adverb that expresses the highest degree of comparisonPut "tiny" into the superlative and you get "tiniest."
2. grammar superlative adjective or adverb: a superlative form of an adjective or adverbthe difference between a comparative and a superlative
3. somebody or something excellent: somebody or something of the highest quality
4. exaggerated praise: an exaggerated description or way of referring to somebody or something, usually expressing admirationheaping superlatives on their performance
[14th century. Via French< Latin superlativus< past participle of superferre "carry above" < super "over, above" + ferre "carry"]

su·per·la·tive·ly adverb
su·per·la·tive·ness noun

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What does Machiavellianism mean?

Machiavellianism is, according to the Old English Dictionary (OED), "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct", deriving from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe (The Prince) and other works.

Machiavellian and variants became very popular in the late 16th century in English, though "Machiavellianism" itself is first cited by the OED from 1626. The word has a
similar use in modern psychology.
Machiavelli, according to the popular view,
although this is disputed at least in part by most Machiavelli scholars, held that people were by nature untrustworthy, malevolent and self-serving, and thus those in power could only maintain their position through exploitative and deceitful actions.
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What does TILITING AT WINDMILLS mean?

Short answer:

Someone who is said to tilt at windmills goes on hopeless, idealistic quests, much like Don Quixote, the title character of the novel by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote, who imagines himself a medieval knight, is so deluded that he imagines windmills are giants and begins to tilt, or joust with his lance, at them.(1605).

Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that
plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire,
"Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do
you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to
do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich
for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless."
"What giants?" asked Sancho Panza.

"Those you see over there," replied his master, "with their long arms. Some
of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length."

"Take care, sir," cried Sancho. "Those over there are not giants but
windmills. Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they
are whirled around by the wind, turn the millstone."

… and then there’s my version:

Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that desert. And no sooner did George Quixote Bush see them that he said to his veep, "Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Dick – put away that rifle - , thirty or forty oily giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless."

"What giants!" exclaimed friend Dick.

"Those you see over there," replied his pal, "with their long arms and bad kidneys. Some of them have arms well nigh two towers in length."

"Take care, sir," cried Dick. "Those over there are not giants but heathens. Those things that seem to be their arms are oil wells which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the pump that makes us rich."

the end

FUNNY HA! HA!

Gore Vidal's response to a men's magazine reporter?

Reporter: "Was your first lover a man or a woman?"

Vidal: "I was too polite to ask"

That man has wit. Say what you will about whatever, he is sharp!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA:The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN McCAIN:My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me......

DR. PHIL:The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH:Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH:We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL:Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY:Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE:That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN:To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART:No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS:Did the chicken cross the road?Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY:To die. In the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL:Because the chicken was GAY! Can't you people see the plain truth?! That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side'. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA:In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS:Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE:It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON:Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES:I have just released eChicken 20 08, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cr a...#@&&^(C% .........reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON:I did NOT cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS:Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY:Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON:Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

I don't know who wrote the above. Here's a few of my own:
SENATOR LLOYD BENTON: That chicken was a friend of mine sir, I knew that chicken well, and you sir are no chicken crosser.

CHRIS MATTHEWS - MSNBC: Oh, come on, take off the Mickey Mouse ears, everyone knows why that chicken crossed the road so let's stop sitting around pretending you don't know.

KEITH OLBERMAN - MSNBC. This is no joke. This is serious. On your watch that chicken crossed the road and your blatant self-serving hypocricy will not save you.

GLEN BECK - FOX NEWS: The real question is, when did the president know the chicken was going to cross the road, and how far did he let him go before notifying congress?
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TRUE STORY FROM CHARLES

When I was a teen I worked for Safeway stores, first as a box-boy then a checker. One of my coworkers was, I now realize, an early version of a nerd - brilliantly intelligent but without a wit of social grace.

One day, while manning checkout counters next to each other I saw him raise a box of feminine douche, looking for a price as he reached for the intercom. I remember thinking, "No, no! Don't do it", but before I could get his attention he announced over the PA system, "Price check please on cherry flavoured douche, large". While he continued to hold down the PA open button the enraged patron said in a barely controlled voice, "It's scented you moron, not flavoured". As her rebuttle rang through the store I heard chuckles and sniggers and I think a large glass container of mayonaise drop to the floor.

As she marched, head down, out of the store I recall that I'd never seen the pastor's wife so red-faced or flustered before.
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While looking for old recipie books at the library I came across a recepie for chicken stock that started:

Rinse and clean 99 chicken feet . . .

hmmmm?

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POEMS & LITERATURE

Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
a euology by Bill Shakespear

"Fear no more the heat o' the sun, nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou, thy worldly task hast done,
home art gone, and ta'en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
to thee, the reed is as the oak.
The scepter, learning, physic,
must all follow this,
and come to dust.
Fear no more the lightning-flash, nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone; fear not slander,
censure rash;
Thou hast finish'd,
joy and moan:
All lovers young, all lovers must
consign to thee, and come to dust.
No exerciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
and renowned it be thy grave."

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from Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers:
Someone once asked for my 'philosophy of life'. I think she was dissapointed when I printed out the following excerpt from the PWP. I'm deep, man, but really, how deep do you need me to be?

There are very few moments in a man's existence when he experiences so much ludicrous distress, or meets with so little charitable commiseration, as when he is in pursuit of his own hat. A vast deal of coolness, and a peculiar degree of judgment, are requisite in catching a hat. A man must not be precipitate, or he runs over it; he must not rush into the opposite extreme, or he loses it altogether. The best way is to keep gently up with the object of pursuit, to be wary and cautious, to watch your opportunity well, get gradually before it, then make a rapid dive, seize itby the crown, and stick it firmly on your head; smiling pleasantly all the time, as if you thought it as good a joke as anybody else.

Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, Chapter 4

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MANGIARE!

1. my personal creation from my time with the jailed Guatamalans . . . . in Forks, WA. Donations accpeted.

CHICKEN MOLÈ VIOLÁ

1 Chipotle Chile – Dried
1/4 cup Shortening
2 tablespoons Red Chiles – ground
2 cups Chicken Broth
4 Flour Tortillas -- cut in strips
1/4 cup Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup Onion – Chopped
1 tablespoon Raisins
1 tablespoon Almonds – Chopped
1 tablespoon Sesame Seed
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Seeds – Shelled
1 tablespoon Peanut Butter
1 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Oregano -- ground
1 1/2 teaspoon Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Anise Seed
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon – ground
1/4 teaspoon Cloves -- ground
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg – ground
1/4 teaspoon Allspice -- ground
1/4 teaspoon Ginger – ground
1/4 teaspoon Cumin -- ground, OR
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seed
1 cup Chicken Broth
8 Chicken Breast Halves

Directions:

Cover chili with warm water. Let stand until softened, about 1 hour. Drain and finely chop. Heat shortening in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot. Cook and stir ground red chilies in shortening until brown (add about 1/4 t water to prevent scorching if necessary); cool. Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth. Stir in remaining ingredients except the remaining 1 cup of broth and chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce the heat and cover. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; cool. Place a small amount of the sauce into a blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth. Repeat with the remaining sauce. Heat 1 cup of the sauce and the remaining chicken broth in a 12-inch skillet; reduce the heat. Place the chicken, skin sides up, in a single layer in the skillet. Cover and simmer until done, about 1 hour. Remove chicken to serving dish and keep warm. Measure the cooking liquid. In skillet combine 1 cup of the cooking liquid with the remaining sauce and heat to boiling, stirring constantly, and pour over the chicken.
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2.
Fruit Cobbler 1-pan, 1-hour.
a.k.a. Napalm for the Sweet-tooth.

1 cube butter (1/4 lb.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 tsp Vanilla (optional)
1 pinch of salt
1 ½ cans (14 oz cans) pie fruit (or if fresh, mix with sugar and 2 tbs of flour before adding). Note: not all canned fruit is sweetened and thickened.

Preheat oven to 350·

Melt 1- cube butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish (microwave 30 seconds)
Mix together items 2-7 until smooth
Poor over melted butter – don’t stir
Poor fruit evenly over batter
Bake 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.
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3.
Corn Chowder Recipe

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 strip of bacon or 1 teaspoon of bacon fat
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups),
cobs reserved
1 bay leaf3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Method
1 In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip (skip this step for vegetarian option, just add more butter) and fry until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.

2 Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.

3 Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Increase the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.

4 Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
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4.
May the Gods Bless the Incas
Perfect breakfast fried potatoes
perfected through years of trial and error
I only share this with you because I love you. This is golden.

Yukon gold potatoes, about 2 small potatoes per serving.

wash and rinse the spuds
dice the potatoes - slice length-wise x 3,
then again x3 (so you now have 9 wedges),
dice these into even sized cubes,
(about the size of a fat blue berry)

place diced potatoes in a glass bowl
sprinkle lightly with fresh ground pepper and a pinch or 2 of kosher salt
microwave for 1 minute
stir potatoes and microwave for another minute
repeat until potatoes are slightly tender.

mince 1-2 green onions

in a non-stick sauce pan melt 2 tbs butter on low to medium heat
add tendered potatoes and onions
saute until golden brown. don't burn 'em or your llama won't pack for you

Just before removing from pan sprinkle garlic powder (not salt), generouly over spuds, season with more fresh ground pepper as desired.

If you use fresh garlic becauseyouthingyourebetterthanme, add it about a minute before you stop cooking to preserve the natural essence of the bulbofworship. (but i think the powder gives a better result).

If it makes you feel better, buy garlic powder from an asseen' monk who grows bulbs from his sweaty arm pits and sundries his perpetually spitooned mastications which can be heel-ground in the desert when rattlesnakes are in proximity but docile due to your ecumenical precience, to produce the organic-wasted ginger you so prize. But don't let my editorializing distract you from an herb, after all, you're the one eating it.

i dont' put on the Birkenstocks for dried or powdered garlic.

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5.
Mexican Chicken Stew
my own recepie

Preheat oven 325·
3 chicken breast halves or six thighs, (boneless & skinless preferred, skins are slimmy if left on)
1 medium onion, dice one half, quarter the other half
2 carrots, cut into large bite-size pieces
3 medium red potatoes, cut into quarters or large bite-size pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut half into strips, dice the other half
1 red bell pepper cut half into strips, dice the other half
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup water, chicken stock or red wine
1 large can of whole tomatoes, 28 oz. or equivalent of fresh skinned tomatoes
1 small can red enchilada sauce, mild or medium, ~10 oz.
1-2 tbs canola or olive oil
1 cube or 1 tsp chicken bullion
2 tbs chili powder
2 tbs ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
½ cup rinsed & chopped fresh cilantro
Salt & pepper

Prepare in Dutch oven or oven-safe soup pot.

Brown chicken in oil, do not fully cook, season with salt and pepper, remove and set aside.

Add diced onion and peppers to pot and sauté on medium high heat until tender and lightly brown.

Add more oil if needed. Add minced garlic and sauté briefly then add ½ cup water, chicken stock or red wine to deglaze the pan, scrape any remaining bits from bottom of pan. Remove from heat. Stir in enchilada sauce and seasonings. Place chicken under sauce on bottom of the pan, add potato, onion, tomato with juice, carrot and remaining pepper strips on top. Cover with lid and place in oven for 1 hour at 325·.
Serve with rice is desired.
Substitute any root vegetable for potatoes.
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6.
Thai Curry Soup

This is a wonderful Asian soup with countless variations. Try using Basil instead of Cilantro for example. For more heat I like to use rooster sauce (SPIRACHA HOT CHILI SAUCE)

4 cups chicken stock prepared with 1 stalk of lemon grass (removed)
5 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup natural peanut butter
3 tbs curry powder or curry paste
1 tsp ground cumin
Dash of red pepper flakes
¾ cup loosely packed cilantro
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
¾ cup sliced shallot or sweet yellow onion
2 tbs fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 jalapeño, sliced into rings, no seeds
1 large tomato, seeded and diced

In a large heavy-bottom pot over high heat, combine chicken stock, garlic, curry, cumin, and cilantro and red pepper flakes if desired. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add coconut milk, shallots and chicken. Simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through.

Add fish sauce, lime juice, hot sauce, jalapeno, and tomato in the last ½ hour of cooking. Salt and pepper to taste.

BOOKS I'D READ AGAIN

Web site for John Le Carre', the best spy novels ever written:
www.johnlecarre.com/books/

1984
A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
Adams, David McCullough
Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina, Tolstoy
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
Cider House Rules
The World According to Garp
Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck
Jitterbug Perfume, Tim Robbins
Jude the Obscure (1895),
Thomas HardyLolita, Vladimir Nabokov
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Of Human Bondage, Somerset Maugham
Pelican Brief, John Grisham
The Audacity of Hope, Barack Hussein Obama
The Constant Gardener, le Carre
The Firm, John Grisham
The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Thomas Hardy
The Moon and Sixpence, Somerset Maugham
The Pagan Christ, Tom Harpur
The Razor’s Edge, Somerset Maugham
The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, le Carre
Two Years Before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Odd Thomas (& Forever Odd, & Brother Odd), Dean Koontz
The Bone Collector, Jeffery Deaver
(of) War and Peace, Tolstoy -- but wait for winter - but not your Last Winter On Earth.
Watership Down, Richard Adams
Lincoln, Gore Vidal - he kicks it with Burr as well!

MOVIES WORTH SEEING

Your host recommends:

2001 A Space Odyssey
Alive!
Angels & DemonsBonnie and Clyde, 1967
Apollo 13
Batman, The Dark Knight (Excellently done)
Baxter! - French
Billy Eliott
Charade 1963
The Cider House Rules
Citizen Kane 1941
The Color Purple
Crash, 1996, by David Cronenberg
Crash, 2004, Paul Higgis
Dances with Wolves
Day of the Locust
Dr. Strangelove
Enemy of the State
Ferris Beuler's Day Off
Harry Potter - series
Godfather I & II
The Importance of Being Earnest, 1952
Jazz, Ken Burns documentary
The Killing of Sister George
Lawrence of Arabia 1962
Little Miss Sunshine
Lolita (James Mason, Shelly Winters)
Maltese Falcon
Manchurian Candidate 1962
Metropolis 1927
Mystic River
‘Night Mother
Notorious
On the Beach, Stanley Kramer
Ordinary People
The Pelican Brief
The Prime of Miss Jean Brody
The Pursuit oy Happyness
The Queen
The Road to Pergatory
Schindler’s List
Shawshank Redemption
Star Trek (2009)
Starship Troopers (1)
Suspiria 1977, Italian
Vanilla Sky
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Don't Try This at Home

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