This is my blogchalk:
United States, North Carolina, Carrboro, English, Paul, Male, 56-60, All Music, All Food.

Subscribe to this blog in Radio:

Sunday, November 14, 2004

The Way I See It, Barry…   Thanks to Sister Ruth for directing me to Camille Paglia’s review of Barry Miles’s new Zappa biography Zappa. The article includes this photograph that could have been a mug shot.   Not much new discussed in the review, at least for Zappa fans, except for this little tidbit about how his kids thought he might pay his fare to Charon…   So high was Zappa's European reputation that Vaclav Havel invited him to be a trade and culture representative for Czechoslovakia in 1990 -- an arrangement quickly terminated by the first Bush administration. A few months later, Zappa learned he had inoperable prostate cancer. He died in 1993 at 52. His children put his espresso machine and cayenne pepper into the coffin.     8:46:58 PM    comment []

Laundry Day Down in the jungle where nobody goes There's a great big gorilla washing his clothes With a rub-a-dub here and a rub-a-dub there This is the way he washes his clothes Boom boodie, boom boodie, boogie woogie boo! Boom boodie, boom boodie, boogie woogie boo! Boom boodie, boom boodie, boogie woogie boo! That's the way he washes his clothes   I shall not be, I shall not be moved I shall not be, I shall not be moved Just like a tree that's planted by the water I shall not be moved         7:45:45 PM    comment []

7:29:49 PM    comment []

I spotted a vaguely interesting packet while grocery shopping yesterday. “Shopping,” as opposed to “getting groceries” – which is a mad dash through the store to accumulate all the items on the scavenger hunt list. “Shopping” is a leisurely stroll, stopping to check out the very latest in bright shiny grocery items, mentally considering their uses, maybe picking it up, probably not. The packet that caught my attention was “Southwestern Marinade.” I hardly ever buy pre-packaged seasoning mixes, but this time was an exception. Next thought was “what the marinate?” The answer was “London broil.” I got one of those too, came home, mixed up the marinade, threw in the London broil and put it in a container that came with the FoodSaver for a vacuum-powered marinade. The package said “30 minutes,” but I gave it a day. Now it’s ready to cook. A grill would be ideal, but I don’t have one, so I went Googling for other ways. The best method seemed to be the one below and it also led to the other items on the menu. The key on that was béarnaise, which also suggested asparagus. Toss in a fresh garden salad and you have Sunday dinner!   London Broil This recipe works equally well with Chateaubriand ( also known as Beef Tenderloin), provided you like your meat rare. Serve it with Béarnaise Sauce. 1 3 lb. beef top round roast 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place beef in a jelly-roll pan. Rub with oil, salt and pepper. Insert a meat thermometer. Roast 30 to 35 minutes for medium-rare doneness. Thermometer should register 125 degrees F. 2. Transfer to a cutting board; loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Servings: 8 Bake/Cook time: 30 minutes   BEARNAISE SAUCE   Here is a recipe that can turn a well done dinner into a gourmet feast. Béarnaise is one of the world’s most classy sauces. Not only is this version rich and exquisitely flavored, it is quite easy to do and also nearly indestructible. We used this a lot at our restaurant "Baron's of Old Town", and Albuquerque Magazine named me the "Baron of Béarnaise" for this recipe. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a couple days. This Béarnaise is prepared in three parts that come together quickly at the end. First, take: 1/4 Medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 tsp. dry tarragon, or good wad of fresh Good grind of black pepper 1/2 cup Chablis Simmer in small pan until liquid reduced to a couple tablespoons.   Meanwhile, in another small pan, put: 1/2 pound of butter Melt gently and bring to gentle simmer.   In the blender put: 6 egg yolks 2-3 tbl. Tarragon vinegar The trick is to have all three parts ready at the same time. When the wine has simmered down about right the butter should just be coming to a simmer, and the blender should be ready. Then: Turn on the blender and dribble in the butter, sort of slowly at first. When the butter is all added, add the wine reduction. Let it whirl for a few seconds, then put it in a bowl and chill it for a couple hours. Béarnaise is good with red meat, vegetables, egg dishes and seafood. It has a particular affinity for asparagus, venison, filet mignon, artichokes, and lobster. There might be nothing in this world better then a rare filet of venison, say elk or moose, topped with an artichoke heart and well covered with Béarnaise. With a bottle of red wine, a leafy salad, and good company, this paradise is paradise enough. 1:14:59 PM    comment []

“Inverted Pyramid Of Piffle”   Boris Johnson's short, chaotic career as a Conservative shadow minister ended last night when Michael Howard sacked him after one story too many about his private life had surfaced in the press. Two tabloid newspapers are carrying fresh allegations this morning about Mr Johnson's relationship with fellow journalist, Petronella Wyatt. Mr Johnson, a married man and father of four children, had brushed off earlier reports as "an inverted pyramid of piffle". 5:25:24 AM    comment []

Every Dough Has Its Day   5:05:04 AM    comment []

Cheney “OK”   Collective sigh of relief causes global climatic change           4:29:21 AM    comment []

Why do my cats like to eat my broom?   4:06:51 AM    comment []

Dough Dog   Making some bread in the middle of the night, when bread is supposed to be made. BBC in the background, delighting in the two variations of the Dutch “van Gogh,” neither of which rhymes with “dough.” (one sounds like “hock;” the other like ‘goff.” Silly foreigners!)   They say many Dutch climbed down from their windmills and left their wooden shoes behind for a pilgimage to The Hague, to cast bits of cactus at the point of van Gogh’s sudden departure from this world - cactus to symbolize his “prickly” nature.   Yes, this man delighted in making crude anti-Semitic (in the global sense that Arabs and Jews are both Semites, and he went out of his way to offend both) statements and that does not justify his brutal murder in any way, but the widespread violent reaction only shows how spiritually close we are, over a half-century since Hitler, to Kristallnacht.   3:50:41 AM    comment []