I wanna talk about Butter Liquefiers

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Live large with great wine and comfort food
By Denise Clarke
What is it about comfort foods that make them, so, comfortable? Is it a personal thing that we bring with us from childhood or maybe a food that we ate while going through tough times? I guess, if that would be the case, then spam would be on everybody’s must have list and how do you do wine food pairing with spam?
My definition of a comfort food is something we crave to eat when we want to cocoon ourselves in the comfort of “food love”, perhaps a good home cooked meal or memories of that special dish prepared lovingly by a friend or family member. Food high in sugar or carbohydrates, filling our bellies and nourishing our very soul seems to fit the bill. I guess you could almost call it a guilty pleasure.
One of my favorite comfort foods around the holiday season is ham and cheese scalloped potatoes. My Mom used to make this every year when we had leftover ham from Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of course, potatoes were always plentiful around the kitchen.
This rich, wonderful casserole is a mixture of potatoes sliced thinly, bite sized pieces of ham, onions, peppers and canned cream of mushroom soup. Dotted with real butter and sprinkled with grated cheddar this is one of my guilty pleasures. It is easy to put together and I have even learned to use my kitchen mandolin to thinly slice the spuds. The most difficult part of the whole dish is to wait for it to cook in the oven! The last time I made this treat, I paired it with a crisp green salad and unoaked Chardonnay from Heron Hills, located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. This is a crisp white wine which reminds me a lot of Pinot Grigio, one of my faves, and it pairs well with a lot of food.
After a busy day of holiday shopping, what could be better than to call up your local pizza parlor and a double pepperoni pizza with thin crust and have it delivered directly to your home. Set …

Source: San Francisco Chronicle ()

Food for thought on Christmas Day: This morning, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of peace at the Vatican in his annual Christmas address aimed at members of the Roman Catholic Church around the world - and at all the rest of the human family, too. The German-born religious leader said: “On this day of peace, my thoughts turn especially to those places where the grim sound of arms continues to reverberate…” He cited “the whole of the Middle East - especially Iraq, Lebanon and the Holy Land.” He “also singled out Darfur, Somalia, the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Balkans and ‘many other crisis situations that unfortunately are frequently forgotten.’” The Pope “prayed that political leaders would find ‘the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions.’” (Translation: Fewer bullets. More butter.) (Agence France Presse in Africasia, U.K.)

Throughout the year, activists in many different countries demonstrate a certain kind of courage (that their detractors routinely dismiss as naïvet&eacut as they also speak out and advocate for peace. But are any policy-makers in the world’s power centers listening? Will their attitudes or behavior ever change? Are they willing to allow their attitudes and behavior to be influenced and changed?

The British writer Aldous Huxley, in his 1936 novel of ideas, Eyeless in Gaza, which features a lot of well-educated, well-dressed people sitting around talking, weighed in, indirectly, on that old bit of fortune-cookie wisdom that holds that, at any given time, a society gets the government it deserves. Huxley turned that thinking around and proposed that governments reflect “the attitudes and values of the peoples they represent. “Nations won’t change their national policies unless and until change their private polcies,” he wrote, adding: “Today’s national behavior [is] a large-scale projection of today’s …

Source: MLive.com ()

Here we are in the midst of the holidays.

Although it’s Christmas Eve, next week will probably
be just as hectic as last week.

Bev Klemish and Sue Szenay-Huntley both of Bay City came up
with a couple of recipes sure to hit the spot on a cold
December night.

Both are made in the crockpot.

This week’s column also includes Gluten Free Peanut
Butter Cookies from M.A. Hickman of Tawas City, and a drink
for all those little Christmas carolers from Caroline
Oyster.

Rolled Stuffed Flank Steak

1 1/2 pounds steak, flank or round

1 box stuffing mix or homemade stuffing.

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Ask butcher to butterfly flank steak or pound round steak,
to make it easier to roll.

Make stuffing according to package directions. Spread
stuffing on meat; roll up, jelly roll style, leaving about
an inch along edges. Tie in several places with twine.
Place seam side down in a 6-quart oval slow cooker.

Cover with soup, undiluted. Cover; cook 8-10 hours.

Remove meat to cutting board, let rest 10 minutes. Remove
string and cut steak into 1/2 inch slices.

Option: Add can of mushrooms to liquid in cooker to make a
gravy and pour over steak.

- Bev Klemish, Bay City

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine

1/2 cup gluten free peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups gluten free flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dough enhancer

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar and egg;
mix thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Sift dry ingredients
together; stir into peanut butter mixture. Chill dough.

Roll into balls the size of large walnuts. 3 inches
apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork
dipped in gluten …

Source: Hindustan Times ()

The “12 Days of Christmas” period has a special place in Christian theology; starting from December 25, the day Jesus was born, to Epiphany, the “12th day”, representing a feast celebrating “the shining forth” or revelation of God in human form, in the person of Jesus, a day of much revelry. So much so that even William Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night, a comedy that reflected the ultimate in human role reversals a masquerade party of sorts with servants dressed as masters and men dressed as women. As the radio station says, “Whatte fun”.

The 12 Days of Indian Christmas video, on the other hand, has a “whatte fun” special place in the pantheon of India-related videos on YouTube this 21st century parody on how an Indian in the US would celebrate this holy period,  just completed one year on the YouTube leader board with over 3 million views, so far. Today, we pay tribute to the irreverent ingenuity of an animation video that makes for a hilarious five minutes.

And sir, let’s have a sense of humour, please. For, no stereotype is spared, IT graduates, butter chicken, telemarketers, the works.

Here go the lyrics of the progressive song, “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…Twelve cricket ball tamperers, Eleven syllable names, Ten-minute yoga, Nine telemarketers, Eight Bollywood films, Seven-11 workers, Six IT graduates, Five Indian games, Four Hare Krishnas, Three butter chickens, Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.”

Written by the Brisbane, Australia-based Indian-origin Boymongoose band, the song is no work of musical genius (although, the drummer and the keyboardist do pair up well). Yet, it strikes a chord with its superb animation. And what is an animated viral video if it does not do that?

And today, just a day before Christmas festivities begin, enjoy the video, and sue me if you don’t split your ends.

Source: AfterElton.com ()

Well, well, well! Yesterday’s As the World Turns certainly got folks worked up! I was so swamped with my BEST.GAY.YEAR.EVER! column that I only just now read all the comments and I only got to watch the Nuke clips late last night. Given the fury in the comments section, I was half-expecting to see Noah hit on Grandma Emma and the two of them slip off to the barn for a little hetero hanky-panky. Fortunately, that’s not quite how things went down and I’ve got some thoughts to offer up on what did happen.

But first, let me put on this handy fire retardant suit because methinks I might need it given some of what I have to say.

Let me open up the packaging. Pull out the suit. Boy, these things are stiff! Okay, first the legs, now the arms. Where is the damn zipper? Okay, there. And now the hood. Phew, it’s stuffy in here!

Okay, now here goes: I think some folks might be overreacting a bit to the supposed homophobia indicated by cutting away from the kiss.

And cue the pitchfork wielding mob!
Here is hoping this suit works!

Obviously, I’m not serious about folks who are upset being an out-of-control mob, but am just trying to inject a little levity into the situation.

So let’s briefly recap yesterday’s episode one more time.

As everyone knows, last week we had Noah invited to spend Christmas with Luke on the farm and in this episode we’re treated to a scene of Luke’s parents, Lily and Holden, reminiscing about how quickly their son has grown up and how he’s now out on the porch with his boyfriend. And they’re completely fine with it.

Later, when Luke has his Christmas "miracle" and fetches the butter, Noah looks at him with tears in his eyes. To celebrate, the family offers up a toast to Luke and to Noah. Later Noah, not much for mushy words and sentiments, gives Luke a reading:

That’s right, one teenage boy just told another teenage boy that he loves him …

Source: Daily Review Online ()

THE SOUNDS OF VIENNA: Piano songstress, Vienna Teng performs at the Independent in San Francisco at 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday. YOSHI’S ALWAYS hosts hot New Year’s Eve runs — ones that require some advance planning if you hope to score tickets. This year, however, we’re getting twice the fun as there are now two Yoshi’s — at Jack London Square in Oakland and also in San Francisco.
The Oakland club will be rocking with the spicy Latin grooves of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra from Dec. 26 to 31, while SF gets the big band sounds of the Count Basie Orchestra (with some help by the East Bay’s Grammy-nominated vocalist Ledisi) over the same time period.
Spanish Harlem Orchestra performs at 8 and 10 p.m. Dec. 26-29, at 7 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 30, and at 9 p.m. Dec. 31 at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, 510 Embarcadero West. Tickets are $26-$100. Call 510-238-9200.
The Count Basie Orchestra, performs with Ledisi at 8 and 10 p.m. Dec. 26-30 and at 9 p.m. Dec. 31 at Yoshi’s San Francisco, 1330 Fillmore St. Tickets are $28-$110. Call 415-655-5600.
Information on both runs can be found at http://www.yoshis.com.
— Jim Harrington

Howlingly good

If there’s a dog lover on your gift list, wow him or her with a wonderful collection of essays compiled by Claudia Kawczynska and Cameron Woo, editors of the popular Berkeley dog magazine, “The Bark.”
Sporting a bright blue cover and an impressive list of contributors such as Dave Barry, Al Franken and Margaret Cho, “Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit” (Crown AdvertisementPublishers, $25) strikes a balance between humor and tenderness and does it with panache.
Dave Barry’s piece, “A Gentleman’s Ideal Companion” includes laugh-out-loud descriptions of dogs’ eternal readiness and their passionate attachment to the game “fetch.” He complains that his wife doesn’t share his point of view, which is why his pets swim in a instead of tug on a leash.
You need a tissue for Haven Kimmel’s story about the …

Source: MSNBC ()

Looking for a comfy home-cooked meal fit for a celebrity? Legendary singer Patti LaBelle shares easy-to-make, delicious dishes that are perfect for the season. Discover how to make her fried chicken, spicy potato salad and cabbage, carrot, and potato skillet:

Cabbage, Carrot, and Potato SkilletPatti LaBelleINGREDIENTS. 1 medium head green cabbage. 3 tbsp butter. 1 medium onion, chopped. 2 medium carrots cut into 1/2 –inch diced. 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice. 2 large russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes. 2 cups water. Seasoned salt and crushed red pepper flakes. 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, optionalDIRECTIONSCut the cabbage into quarters. Cut off and discard the hard core from each wedge. Slice the cabbage into ½-inch-wide strips. Set aside.In a deep 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and bell pepper. Cook stirring, often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and potatoes.Add water and season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.Cook until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with the cilantro, if desired.
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Patti’s Hot & Spicy Potato SaladPatti LaBelleINGREDIENTS. 20 red potatoes, boiled and chopped. 12 hardboiled eggs, chopped. 1 bunch celery, chopped. 2 Green bell peppers, finely chopped. 4 Tablespoons of Labelle #1 Diced Fine Jalapenos. 4 Tablespoons of Labelle #2 Sweet Jalapeño Relish. 2 Tablespoons of yellow 2/3 cup of mayonnaise. Large white onion, chopped. Celery Seed. Black pepper to taste. Seasoning salt …

Source: Examiner.com ()

BALTIMORE
(Map, News)
-
Tsunami — restaurant by night, lounge by late night — is the chic place to feast on sushi or experiment with Asian fusion. After establishing a successful Annapolis location, Tsunami owners recently brought the posh venue and Lemongrass, its sister loungeand restaurant, to a Harbor East renovated warehouse.

Visit the Baltimore location of Tsunami with its infancy in mind.

The Scene: The ambiance is the main entree for patrons — both diners and drinkers. Its walls, painted a subdued lime and meditative dark blue, set the mood, further enhanced by soft-white orb lights, similar to Chinese lanterns, hanging from the high ceiling. Modern details, from bamboo sticks to metallic tabletops, seal Tsunami’s tranquil, polished vibe.

The Pour: An extensive wine list and adventurous martini selection, including a warm sake concoction, bolsters the bar offerings.

The Taste: Our tuna and yellowtail sashimi was fresh and well-plated with wasabi and an attractive garnish.

Of our three entrees, the burnt chili New York strip with spiced port reduction and goat cheese mashed potatoes stood out. Thin slices of red pepper, carrots and shredded lettuce added an amazing texture and atypical crunch to the creamy dish. The melt-in-your-mouth steak, cooked medium, was so tender you could probably cut it with a butter knife.

For $16, the crab cake was impossibly minute and mostly filler. Its one saving grace was the accompanying serving of chopped, sweet mango.

The Finishing Touch: Though a pretty pink color, the Japanese red bean ice cream, served with a delicious yet dense green tea vanilla cake, didn’t live up to its name; it tasted exactly like a scoop of plain vanilla.

Don’t Miss: ‘The Tsunami,’ an electric-blue cocktail with ginger shavings. It leaves your tongue with its tangy sweetness.

Why you will go: The endless sushi selections, excellent service and unique …

Source: Austin American-Statesman ()

TALES OF THE CITY

By Tudey Teten
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Like other wizened residents of Austin, I thought many of the qualities that made our hometown a singular place had died. It took a September funeral in Clarksville to change my mind.

The intersection of West Lynn and West 12th streets, anchored by Nau’s Enfield Drug, Jeffrey’s Restaurant and trendy cafes, is considered the heart of that historic neighborhood, yet it’s actually blocks — and many decades — away.

West of the intersection, West 12th dead-ends at Charlotte Street, in an area seemingly untouched by the high-dollar renovation of Old West Austin. Here, the small, unassuming old homes still exhibit their original clapboard construction.

At the top of the hill, where Charlotte doglegs to West 11th, rests Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, whose congregation dates back to 1871. The current building, erected in 1935, reflects the neighborhood: simple and utilitarian.

On that hot late-summer day, nine window air conditioners strained to cool the overflow crowd in the small church. Many mourners had to stand against the wood-paneled walls. Behind the raised dais reserved for the ministers, two paintings of a black Jesus observed the funeral procession.

The Mission Sisters, attired in white dresses, entered first, followed by the church deacons, who served as pallbearers. One of them, Doug Baylor, sat in front of my brother Paul; they had been classmates at Austin High. Doug’s older brother, Don, and Lenora Higgins were among the first to integrate O. Henry Junior High, stoically enduring the predictable racial epithets and paving the way for Doug. A few years later, Doug was voted “friendliest boy” by his classmates, twice.

Another deacon, Lenora’s brother Tim, was in front of me. We O. Henry together, but we had known each other long before then. His mother, Blanche, worked …

Source: AllAfrica.com ()

I don’t know what you think, but I believe that the most celebrated birthday on earth, arguably that of the Jesus of Nazareth, has lost most of its colour and glamour. Time was when the month of December wore the aura of awesome spectacle. The last month in the English calendar, December was heralded by bangers, which village boys like us knew as knock-outs or Bisiko.

In our childhood days, Christmas was a time new songs were composed, and new plays were produced and staged about the immaculate conception and the birth of Christ. It was the period when kids anxiously looked forward to getting new clothes, called Aso Odun, and prayed fervently that the almighty tailors did not fail to finish sewing their new dresses. Our parents, based on previous experience avoided buying us white fabrics because it was normal to splash some oil all over them.

Christmas was a festival that gave us the liberty to descend mercilessly on the hapless chickens and ducks. Turkey was not a common item on village menus. We fought for the liver and gizzard of chicken as the well-seasoned meat sizzled in the spicy stew. My God, how we wished everyday was Christmas.

My most memorable Christmas was a trip to Ibadan around 1968. Believe me, it was like travelling to London, Paris, Cape Town, or even paradise. Ibadan of those days had the Kingsway and Leventis Stores. Those stores stocked a rich assortment of the best of imported foods and beverages. I remember the eye-popping selection of sweets, chocolates, butter, cakes, sausages, peanut butter, bacon, baked beans, fish fingers, salami, cereals, biscuits, and the many glittering gifts

I vividly recollect my first encounter with an escalator in Ibadan. It took some serious prayers to go near that revolving spirit. And when I eventually summoned the courage to climb it, getting off was even more harrowing. The fear of my legs chopped off by the strange lift persists till today. We were duly warned to beware of …