Rustic farro soup

I walked into the family room on Saturday to find my husband watching Christina Cooks, a vegan cooking show on public television. Christina was rhapsodising about farro, which I now know, thanks to about.com, "has a long and glorious history: it is the original grain from which all others derive, and fed the Mediterranean and Near Eastern populations for thousands of years." Apparently it doesn't produce large yields and has been mostly replaced with more modern grains. Anyway, Christina was making a farro salad and was pouring on the olive oil and folding in heaps of fresh basil and stuff and it was all looking really good but, we're up to our armpits in snow and ice here, and seeing the fresh basil just made me mad. (I'm starting to get a little cranky about the weather.) She was urging her viewers to try to find farro even though it might be hard. Ken was really into it. I could see he was determined to make farro no matter what, so off we went to Whole Foods to do our part to keep the grain alive. As I was starting my second search of the bulk bins, Ken came running over waving a package of organic farro. Looks like barley, I thought.

After we got home, he went off to find another recipe that didn't involve fresh basil and I started to read the fine (very fine I must say) print on the package, and */%#, you have to soak the stuff for eight hours before you use it. Ken was not discouraged. He really likes Christina and wanted to do as she said.

Well. I've been debating with myself about whether or not to post this recipe because I've been pretty careful to post things that match the theme of "easy." This recipe is easy, no question, but it involves an extra step that means you have to plan ahead. Planning ahead is the part that's not easy. My husband pointed out that soaking something overnight isn't hard. And the result is fantastic, so here goes.

Ken made the soup except for the last part, and then was off to the airport, and I finished the cooking and had it for supper. I must say I was surprised by the incredible flavor. It's fabulous. Make this soup. You won't be sorry. I will also tell you that Ken made his own quick vegetable stock but you can use a ready-made version of low sodium stock.

Rustic farro soup (adapted from a Whole Foods recipe)
7 ounces farro (whole, not cracked, triticum dicoccum)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup carrots, small diced
1/2 cup celery, small diced
1/2 cup yellow onions, small diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes and juice, canned
1 cup dry red wine
5 cups low sodium veggie broth
crushed red pepper to taste
8 ounces escarole, cleaned and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

Rinse and then soak the farro 8 hours or overnight.

In a soup pot, heat the oil on medium and add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and slowly sauté until the onions are translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid. Add the tomatoes, wine, broth, red pepper and soaked farro. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the farro is almost tender, about 30 minutes. Add the chopped escarole, salt and pepper. Simmer about three minutes (just enough to cook the escarole). Add the thyme. Serve piping hot.

note: Good news! I've been doing a bit more research on the Web and several sources say you don't have to soak the farro, and it will cook in about 20-30 minutes - one cup of farro to three cups of water. Christina herself says you don't have to soak it. In fact, I'm finding the information about farro to be quite varied. One site says it's a kind of wheat and another says it has no connection to wheat and is an entirely separate grain. Most sources say it should be firm and chewy, and the method we used for the soup produced a very soft (but very pleasant) result. All sources say that farro is a nutritionally superior food. Since this was my first experience with farro, I'm unable to be more precise about cooking it. I'll have to experiment with the rest of the package and see what happens. Please leave comments about your results or your experience with this grain.

Live Blog of Celebrity Apprentice 2.28.08

Moan Quivers usually reports live from the red carpet on Celebrity Apprentice. But for some reason, Twitter is down. Moan is crying and cursing and kicking up a storm. Okay. Okay. No problem, Moani, move over to the blog. So, for what it's worth, we're allowing Moan to live blog right here. Have fun, ya'll!

9:05: All systems down. Twitter bot will not work. I'm taking this show to the blog. Hello world!

9:19: The last time Twitter worked, Omarosa was chickening out of being PM and the Donald kind of dissed her because he said Carol was the last woman left standing. Carol and Tito are the two PMs.

9:20: As I had started to say on the Twitter bot, Carol should have been fired last week, but instead it was Marilu. They're both so skinny I hate them. But at least Carol is stepping up to the plate this week. I'm glad a woman is taking charge. It's an ad campaign for a beauty product. This is right up Carol's alley.

9:23 The show went to commercial. Wow, Twitter is really messed up tonight. I finally got back into the account, but it looks totally weird. Did I miss getting the memo about shake up at Twitter? Or is someone hacking into my account? Hard to tell what exactly is going on.

9:25 Yes, Omarosa, women want to see hot men. They don't want to see you. Vamoose!

9:27 Tito's team, Empressario, is doing a hot shoot. But will it sell the product? I'm not so sure. This shoot doesn't make me want to buy dial beauty soap. It makes me want to call an escort service.

9:28 Piers says the fact that Redbook women want to have sex is not a problem at all. Piers probably hasn't gotten any in weeks. Hydra is doing soft porno for dial. I say throw Lennox in that shot too. A threesome! Sex it up, guys.

9:30 Agreed, Stevie B. The shoot is a risk for Empressario. Clean, healthy, trusted, wholesome, family. These are the words right out of the dial exec's mouths and Tito would be wise to listen. Stevie B. is pretty intuitive for a preacher man.

9:34 Prediction: If I had to guess, I would say that Tito will somehow revamp the shoot. If not, the team is going to be toast and either Tito or Stinkaroma will be fired.

9:36 I usually like British accents, but when I hear Piers speaking, I think about his fatherless children and feel all sick inside. Hydra's campaign is focusing on health. The model is biting Carol's shoulder. This might be too racy for them.

9:38 What's up with the dial exec's tie? Bob? That guy in the blue has no taste whatsoever. His tie looks like a jigsaw puzzle.

9:39 Omarosa's claim to fame is that she's a "Reality Star" Hahahaha. I love that. Now one can be a star just by being on a reality show, even if you have no other talent whatsoever. Tito's presentation was pretty poor.

9:40 The Donald asks the execs who they liked more. Going out on a limb here during the commercial and going to say they liked Carol's team, Hydra, better. We'll see when the show returns.

9:44 Already they are going into the boardroom. Drat. I wanted to hear more from the guy with the bad tie.

9:45 Tito was nervous at the presentation, Donald, because he's usually pounding people in the face, not trying to speak. Don't use Tito as a speaker if you want to sell your product. Lession learned. Use him as a person to pound out your opponent...or to be bitten in the ring, as The Donald just pointed out.

9:47 I for one do not think that the hot model biting Carol's shoulder was a problem. Piers is dissing the other side's ad. He says it was boring. Trace is not boring, Piers. If you want boring, look in the mirror.

9:49 I'm not sure why it matters if the teams look at each other's ads and rips them apart. Of course the other side is not going to like each other's ads. The Donald just said that what he likes doesn't matter.

9:50 Yes! I got it right. Hydra wins. Carol is going to get $20K for charity. Love how Celebrity Apprentice gives money away. Such a good part of this show.

9:51 I wish someone would shut Omarosa up. Tito is the nicest guy ever and she is fighting with him, pushing the PM on him, pushing her stupid opinions on him. She really needs to be fired. Why is The Donald keeping her?

9:53 Omarosa, Omarosa, Stinkaroma. You are a liar. No one likes you. You are 0 and 2 on the tasks. You have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. You lied and said you wanted to be PM, even though we all heard you push it on Tito. And now you are going to try to hang Tito out to dry. If The Donald doesn't fire you this time around, I am going to go on some kind of protest. I mean it. And it will be big. Like Adrian Grenier. I'll grow a beard. Or let my unshaven legs grow more hair. Something dirty and stinky, like you.

9:55 Okay, they're back. I doubt anyone is going to be asked to leave the room. Not enough time.

9:56 Pray with me everyone. Pray. Fire Omarosa. Fire Omarosa. Go George! There was no concept. It's all Omarosa's fault.

9:57 Noooooo. Trace. DO NOT stick up for Omarosa!!!!

9:58 Maybe she cooked herself afterall. Stevie B. is really the one who knocked down the racy picture and Omarosa just told The Donald she would fire Tito.

9:59 Tito has no idea what the word "exonerate" means. Tito just said that Omarosa shouldn't be fired because she worked the hardest. This is soooooo wrong!!!

10:00 Darn! I'm gonna have to grow hairy legs. The Donald just fired Tito, but he felt so sorry for him, he gave him $50K for St. Judes. Classy. Oh well, Stinkaroma misses the ax again. Tune in next week for incredibly hairy legs and more swipes at Stinky.

A Barack Hussein Obama by any Other Name Would Still Smell as Sweet

Can I just say what I want to say without linking to anything? Because I'm so tired of backing up everything I say with fact checking links, I won't write this article if I can't just speak my mind. Why should I waste my time researching what I know other people are saying so that readers can fact check me and think, hmmmm, maybe she does know what she's spewing about. If that's what it takes to get intelligent life to pay attention, then good, I don't care, they can go read the same thing somewhere else.

Little do they know the same thing somewhere else doesn't exist. Yet. That's because I'm the original, the original thought, the original spewminator. Okay, maybe not. I just rolled out of bed. I'm sick. I'm tired. I'm sick and tired.

Good gracious, what time is it? Did I really just admit rolling out of bed at 4:00 p.m.? That was the time I started this article. So much has happened since then and I'm still in my pajamas.

The political campaign trail is heating up. It's starting to get good. The gloves are coming off and the candidates are finally out there swacking. About time. I was wondering when the dirt would start to fly.

Barack Hussein Obama.

That's the latest flap. The Republicans are getting trashed for repeating -- very slowly -- repeating the mid-dle-name of the lock nominee for the Democrats.

Oh, but I'm not counting Hillary out, no, better dare not count out She-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named, lest someone think I don't know what I'm talking about. The Clintons won't be done until America cuts off every hairy head they sprout, like the Hydra team on Celebrity Apprentice. Until there are no heads left to vanquish and the body keels over dead, a lifeless massive hulk, only then will people finally proclaim

Barack Hussein Obama

the lock Democratic nominee. Links aside, this point about not counting out She-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named, I saw someone else touch upon this subject and it was rather good. They compared Billary to the shark in Jaws, and right then and there I knew no one of any substance would dare call her out of this race -- yet. Just when you think you've pounded the slick oily beast in the head enough times to see it slink to the bottom of the ocean never to be seen again, just then, the million-toothed monster flies up out of the spray, "Auuggghhh! Auuuuggghhh!," gnawing at the boat it broke in half right before you were lucky enough to beat it back into the waves, "Auuugggghhh! Auuugggghhhh!," and you're thinking to yourself, "I thought I killed that thing. Wha jus happen't?" as it lunges for the boat and rips out your jugular.

Are we there yet?

When the Democrats can finally sing "Ding dong, the witch is dead," only then will we all be able to sit cross-legged in a big circle, strap our headbands across our foreheads, drink herbal tea, stand together, lock our arms in solidarity and sing Kumbaya.

This train is a rolling down the tracks, people. Not you, not me, not even William F. Buckley, may he R.I.P., can stop this train 'cause itsa come'n. Truth be told, I don't want to stop this train. I'm so giddy at the prospect of shaking off the stench of the Clintons, I'm right there in that circle singing "Praised Be! Glory glory hallespewya! Bring it on!"

Barack Hussein Obama

is going all the way. Barack is a lock. No matter what happens this Tuesday, the momentum of his campaign has morphed into something so much larger than the way it began. So epic, so Nostradamic, so second coming in proportions that the super delegates have already defected in droves, bowing to the will of the mighty masses no matter what wool Ohio Republicans try to pull over the people's eyes. Clinton has made mistake after mistake after mistake, in fact, she's made so many ridiculous mistakes over the course of her campaign, it would take a witch doctor to revive it. The blundering monstrosity that characterizes her campaign proves she would run this country right into the ground no matter what kind of praises people want to heap upon her.

And by the way, I was dismayed to see one of the entertainers I admire most, Tina Fey, practically gush over Billary's good qualities this past Saturday on SNL. B**ch is not the new black. Catholic school nuns scare me. There are other good, less terrifying ways to learn the capital of Vermont.



Sorry, Tina (by the way, in case you live in an oppressive dictatorship, that isn't Tina, it's a reenactment I stumbled upon), but in this case, backing the devil we know is not a good idea.

Barack Hussein Obama.

What's the problem, people? That's the man's name. That's the name his mother and father chose to give him. What? He should change it? He shouldn't be proud of his own name, is that what you people are saying? What? Other people shouldn't speak his name because it will make stupid people think he's a Muslim? Since when does the intelligentsia censure for the sake of chowderheads?

Oh my gee dee! I'm going to have to dis my own request and link to something more intelligent than this twaddle. I can't believe I'm doing this for the sake of morons. Take that! And that!And this!

Barack Hussein Obama!!!

Get used to it.

Whew. I'm tired. Will somebody bring me some coffee? And a couple aspirins? Make that Motrins, aspirin isn't supposed to be good on an empty stomach. Drat. Nobody's around. The kids are all in school. I thought for sure one of them stayed home and slept in when I went back to bed. And that husband of mine. How dare he go to work and actually earn a living when I'm home sick in bed. I think it's the flu. Or maybe the clap. I can't tell the difference. Oh yeah. One of them is more itchy.

Another Government Wipe Joke

Not so funny, but the fact that someone actually took the time to think this up and write it all down made me chuckle. Talk about working from the punchline backward. I wonder how long it took to work their way back to the opening.

A Montana cowboy is overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advances out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"

The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's how many animals I have alright. Well, I guess you can take one of the young 'uns," says the cowboy.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the cowboy says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is will you give me back my animal?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

"You're a congressman with the U.S. government," says the cowboy.

"Wow! That's correct," says the young man. "But how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required," answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter you are than me. And you don't know a thing about cows. . . this is a herd of sheep. . . . Now give me back my dog."

Pentax Photo Gallery

Note:
I'm in the process of adding more data and comments to this post. Stay tuned...

Key Photo Gallery Stats
- 1900 artists from 75 countries
- Over 4,000 images

Pentax Photo Gallery "Artist" Stats

Pentax Photo Gallery "Lens" Stats

Hollywood Magic Masks Sarah Silverman Jimmy Kimmel Relationship Blues

Jimmy KimmelJimmy Kimmel Sarah SilvermanCelebrity Gossip Sarah SilvermanJimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel Video


What happens when, in Adam Sandler-speak, "one fine looking Jew" vegetarian and meta-bigot comedienne reaches the end of the line in a five year dalliance with an Italian meat cooking Christmas loving late night TV show host?

They milk it as the biggest free publicity stunt in the anals of show biz lore, packaged as one of the most hilarious spoofs ever played by a We Are the World A-list cast of characters formerly sidelined by the WGA.



It's side-slapping to watch the big names who participated. And yet somehow, I can't help but feel badly for Kimmel and Silverman. Clearly, something is whacky in relationshipland. Apparently, I'm not the only one feeling their pain.

Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel began dating shortly after she stepped on the stage of a Hugh Hefner roast and lambasted Kimmel as "fat" with "no charisma." Lovely way to kick off a romance. Tender and gentle in an "I'll stomp you so don't mess with me" kind of way.

In November 2005, Silverman flirted with other men at the wrap party for her money-making movie, Jesus is Magic. Kimmel made fart jokes at Silverman's expense.

The couple was living together in May 2007 when Kimmel trotted Silverman out on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He outed her unshaven legs, complained about farts, and wondered aloud about the red stuff on her lips (it was lipstick) as if she had never before worn any in his presence. This, mind you, as a build-up to Silverman's famous skewer of Paris Hilton at the MTV Movie Awards and simultaneous Maxim cover debut. Silverman was poised to hit the big time and was coming into her own, yet Kimmel didn't seem particularly enthused or proud of his significant other's accomplishments.

Silverman either has an amazing sense of humor or she's the biggest patsy who ever walked the face of the planet. If my boyfriend treated me like that on national TV, I would have taken his puckered lips at the end of the segment and pushed them down his pudgy throat.

But what appears to be the final straw was yet to come. Kimmel publicly embarrassed Silverman on his show in October 2007 by insinuating she was a man and nipping her suggestion of marriage in the bud. At one point, Silverman dropped to her knees in mock proposal while Kimmel tried desperately to cut away to commercial. Nervous banter aside, the only one laughing was the audience.

I'm afraid what we are now witnessing is the beginning of the end. Silverman fired the first shot in January 2008 by getting Kimmel to play a video in honor of his fifth anniversary show. Her professed love affair with People's Sexiest Man Alive, Matt Damon, was an immediate Internet sensation, registering millions of hits and quickly raising her profile around the blogosphere. This week, in the spirit of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Kimmel countered with his own musical spoof, professing undying love and covert shtuping with Ben Affleck, Damon's cohort and confidant.

Both Damon and Affleck are married to women and each of them is raising a child. Damon also helps raise a step-daughter. And as long as people want to start keeping tabs, the Silverman spoof is a rip-off. Check out Damon in these highlights from Eurotrip. Chalk up one for the Kimmel in this battle of lilting love.



It's wonderful to see the funny folk of Hollywood therapeutically hash out their problems through the production of jocular entertainment. Kind of in the vein of "If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em," Kimmel and Silverman are getting the last laugh on the tabloids and I say "good for them."

But what I see lurking behind their side-splitting antics is far from good. A sad spectacle of romance on the rocks. To their ingenious credit, these videos are the talk of the tabloids rather than their more obvious relationship blues.

Maybe that's just as well.

Post Oscar Celebrity Legal Briefs

With the glow of Oscars fading in the west, it's reality check time. Oh yes, even the stars have their share of legal woes. Submitted for your approval, a sampling of today's civil matters in the world of entertainment

In the "Here We Go Again" department, Pamela Anderson is seeking an annulment from husband number "I can't keep track anymore" Rick Salomon. Can't imagine why the Baywatch babe is claiming fraud, although what did she expect getting married on a whim?

Jessica Seinfeld's ex, Eric Nederlander, is a two-time loser. He's agreed to vacate the "hate nest" of wife number two just weeks after the birth of their first child. Apparently, Number Two's training as a child psychologist was all for naught.

The sad saga of Britney Spears will remain in state court. An attorney claiming to represent the embattled pop princess tried to move the case to federal court by alleging violation of her constitutional rights. By the time all the lawyers are done picking apart this pie, there may not be much fame and fortune left for her to squander.

The Maccas have been told to clear their calendars for March 17th. That's when a British judge is tenatively scheduled to award Heather Mills a financial settlement in the couple's hotly contested divorce. Sir Paul had hoped to keep the lid on the details, but refused to buckle to m'lady's demands. A public airing of their dirty laundry will likely occur when the judge issues his final ruling.

After having his day in court on charges of defamation, paparazzo Jamie Fawcett was ordered to pay legal fees to the Sun-Herald. A jury found the newspaper liable for defamation, however, the paper called Nicole Kidman as a witness and successfully established it had only reported the truth.
A bank is foreclosing Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The King of Pop has until March 19th to pay off an overdue balance of about $25M.

Rambo wants revenge. Anthony Pellicano, the private investigator scheduled to go on trial for illegally wiretapping the phones of celebrities, intercepted Sylvester Stallone's private calls in February 2002. Although settled, the interceptions occurred about the same time Stallone sued his former business manager over losses related to the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain.

Alfred Beardsley, the memorabilia dealer caught up in the O.J. Simpson snafu, filed suit against Thomas Riccio, the mastermind behind the Simpson TMZ video. Beardsley is claiming unspecified damages for invasion of privacy, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and unjust enrichment. In September, 2007, Simpson and friends raided Beardsley's Las Vegas hotel room and seized several items Simpson claimed as his own. Criminal charges remain pending.

The John Ritter wrongful death trial is now in its fourth week. The beloved actor's survivors are suing a cardiologist and radiologist for $67M. Many tearfully testified about Ritter's sudden demise, including then co-star Katey Sagal, son Jason Ritter, and personal assistant Jessica Pilch-Samuel.

Countering a copyright case filed by video game maker Capcom, producers of the Dawn of the Dead films are fighting back. MKR President and chief shareholder Richard Rubinstein believes Capcom's Dead Rising video game is a knock-off of key plot elements in the popular movie franchise.

Producer's of America's Hot Musician, the non-profit organization American Youth Symphony, filed suit against Canadian all-female metal band "Kittie" for $5M. Countering show related threats of legal retaliation, the producers hit back claiming tortious interference with business practices, fraud and libel.

THIS JUST IN:
R.I.P. William F. Buckley, sage political commentator, dead at the age of 82.

Live Blogging 2008 Ohio Democratic Debate

Too ill to blog tonight's Democratic debate, but I'll be watching. The two candidates left standing are facing off again, this time at Cleveland State University. Many are hoping for a knock down drag-out winner take all outcome. Break out the NyQuil.

Follow these live blogs for a blow by blow analysis:

ABC's Rick Klein
Guardian America's Alexander Belenky
The Swamp's Lisa Anderson

More to be added as the evening drags on.

What do you know, my candidate endorsed Barack Obama. It's official then. There's no turning back.

Braised greens with tofu, cashews and raisins over polenta

Don't let the long title scare you. This fabulous dish is so easy to make you may find yourself standing around the kitchen looking for something to do. It's very versatile, too. You could leave out the tofu and polenta, for example, and serve the braised kale as a vegetable. Or serve it over basmati rice or rice thread noodles. I highly recommend trying the polenta, though. It's delish and serves four.

The polenta is based on a recipe from Passionate Vegetarian. The author says it's an old Tuscan peasant recipe. Here it is:
-1 cup course grind cornmeal (our co-op sells a bulk course grind labeled "polenta") or fine grind cornmeal
-3 1/2 cups water
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon yeast flakes (not brewers yeast powder), optional but recommended

Oil a 3 quart oven-proof skillet or dish. Put all ingredients in dish and mix together casually.
Put the dish, uncovered, in a pre-heated 350˚ oven. Bake for 40 minutes, undisturbed. After 40 minutes, stir and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes. Creamy, dreamy, heartwarming polenta. mmm.

I always make this polenta in a 3 1/2 quart enamelled cast iron casserole pan from Le Creuset. It's one of three pieces of this cookware that I own, and it gets used nearly every day. Because the pan isn't supposed to go directly from cold to hot, I put it in the oven when I turn it on to pre-heat, and start the timer when the oven reaches the correct temperature.



Braised greens with tofu, cashews and raisins
-1 pound kale (or other sturdy greens like mustard) I used a bunch of kale -no idea what it weighed
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 pound extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon tamari
-1/4 cup cashews
-1/2 cup bread crumbs (one slice of bread should be about right)
-1/4 cup raisins
-1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
-one good sized carrot, peeled
-1/2 teaspoon natural sugar
-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (unseasoned)
-freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse greens, remove thick stems, coursely shred and set aside.
3. Place the tofu cubes in a small bowl and drizzle with one teaspoon tamari. Toss to coat all the cubes. Let sit five minutes.
3. Heat one tablespoon oil in wok or skillet. Add the tofu cubes and cook over high heat until browned.
4. Turn the heat down. Add the mushrooms, cashews and bread crumbs and sauté until they are lightly browned. Stir in the raisins. Remove mixture from pan and set aside.
5. Add the other tablespoon of oil to pan, shred the carrot right into the pan, increase heat to high and add the greens. Stir to mix, then cover and cook about three minutes until the greens have wilted but are still bright green. (Be careful not to burn them.)
6. Reduce heat, stir in sugar and vinegar, and season to taste. Add the tofu mixture. Spread over polenta.

Sometimes I spread the polenta on a large serving platter and place the veggies on top. You can decorate with parsley and olives.

The whole vegetable part took about 15-20 minutes including prep time, so plan accordingly so you can have the veggies and polenta finish cooking about the same time. This part of the recipe is based on a recipe that I think is from the NY Times. I'm not sure though.

March 19 Update: I'm in Seattle visiting family and doubled this recipe to feed five or six adults with lots of leftovers. When I went to stir the polenta after 40 minutes, it was still liquidy. I panicked. Did I forget to double the cornmeal? Was the oven temperature wrong? Then I realized that of course, larger amounts of food require longer cooking times. Duh. After another half hour, it was ready to stir. In the meantime, I cut up all the ingredients and put them into little bowls, ready to go. When the polenta was done, I turned off the oven but left the dutch oven in there. Then I prepared the braised veggies, and I felt like a TV cook! You know how they make it look so easy in those TV kitchens by having all the ingredients in little dishes and just popping the stuff into the pan. Well, it really IS easy to have the ingredients on hand.

Rush Limbaugh Endorses Hillary Clinton for President

Do I have your attention?

No, I mean, DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?!

Because if I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I wouldn't believe it myself. There I was, propped up on the couch in a semi-groggy almost comatose state, barely able to breathe through one nostril, when the parody played over the airwaves.

Much as I like and admire Rush Limbaugh -- say what you will about him, the man is a media mogul -- I refuse to join the ranks of "Rush Babies," people who subscribe to his 24/7 website providing full access to live "Ditto Cam" reports, the fabled "Stack of Stuff" newsletter, political parodies from Paul Shanklin, and latest gimmick grabber, the "O.O.C." sheriff badge proudly affixed to the lapel of African-American "Official Program Observer," James Golden/Bo Snerdly, their "Official Obama Criticizer."

As a result, I have no links to today's parody. Nonetheless, it has etched its wretched mark in my mind, looping over and over in a fuzzy haze like that time when I was five years old and got locked into a backyard shed during a family get together. Yes, it did happen, but the details get muddled over time. I'm so coked up on cold medication, the finer points of today's EIB program are no longer accessible. But this much I know. Rush Limbaugh and his ilk are terrified by the prospect of running John McCain against Barack Obama in November.

There's a parody floating around out there somewhere and when I get my grubby paws on it, you'd better believe I'm linking to it. But for now, trust me. Just trust me.

Limbaugh, Coulter, my own local Bruce Elliott, they're all praying, hoping, desperately desiring a Hillary nomination. And the smart money knows why. Because she isn't electable. Not even against decrepit politics as usual John McCain.

Today on his program -- if I could swear I would swear -- I heard Limbaugh endorse Hillary Clinton for president. Maybe he just wants her to claim the Democratic nomination so Republicans can beat the crap out of her in the fall, I can't be certain. I immediately turned off the radio to concentrate on other matters such as this blog. Hey, I know this article sounds sophmoric, addled, disjointed, but what do you expect from a sick person?

The point is -- and there is a point in all of this so I'm going to make it -- the point is, Republicans are so worried about winning in November, they're now hatching a nefarious plan to keep Hillary's candidacy alive. I wish Republicans would take a good hard look at themselves and decide whether early support of John McCain is to blame. Numbers and statistical impossibilities aside, of all the presidential hopefuls, he seemed the least likely to become their come back man from behind. Giuliani, Huckabee, yeesh, a disaffected Democrat like me might have even given Romney a second glance, but McCain? Why has he emerged as their front runner? His hardball stance against abortion? When is the "moral majority" going to get the loud and clear message that the majority of Americans believe a woman has and should always have a right to choose?

Most of McCain's other policies don't mesh with the right wing, we all know that. What the Republicans seem to be missing, and what Limbaugh very clearly emphasized today is that McCain's policies don't mesh with disaffected Democrats like me either. Unlike Ann Coulter who honestly rubs me the wrong way, the only way I and probably legions of other "third party Democrats" will ever consider casting a vote for McCain is if our party nominates Billary. I whole heartedly agree with Limbaugh, something I don't do very often, when he posits McCain is a lock if the Democrats back the Clintons.

As an aside, this dribble about Florida's liberal Jewish voters is just that. Liberal Jewish voters comprise a tiny almost infinitesimal fraction of the electorate, hardly a force to behold inside the Democratic elite. And this laughable conjecture about African-Americans, give me a break. If the party backs the Clinton, my guess is a good portion of that vote will stay on the job November 4th.

Now I'm no expert on state primaries, but I'm worried about crossover votes and the impact Texas and Ohio voters will have on this election. Is it really fair to pressure super delegates into a Hillary nomination when the Republicans are hatching a strategy to keep her candidacy alive? For their own nefarious reasons?

The majority of Americans are tired of the divide, sick of the bitter infighting, tired of the haves getting fat while the have-nots struggle to stay alive. These labels I hear bandied about, liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, drive-bys, neocons, and Limbaugh's divisive tactics, they're not working. They're not bringing us to a better tomorrow. If anything, they're leading us over the cliff like lemmings too stupid to realize they're about to die.

Barack Obama will have plenty of media scrutiny in the months ahead, this much is certain. The media is not about to give him a free pass to the presidency. For now, the American public is mesmerized with the man from Illinois because he speaks a message long since forgotten. Hope, connection, togetherness, vision, prosperity, peace. Obama says he can make it it so. Many are willing to roll the dice and let him try.

Come up with something better, Republicans, and you too shall have a shot at the White House. But John McCain? Puh-leeze! Republicans will have to do better than that.

Fried rice

No recipe tonight - just a photo of the fried rice I made for supper. It was just a simple stir fry with lots of baby broccoli, carrots, yellow and orange peppers, onion, mushrooms and leftover rice. I seasoned it with a spice mixture from Penzeys called Bangkok Blend, and tamari. Even when I don't think I have enough energy left to make dinner, something as simple as this still beats some over-seasoned convenience food. Yeah.

Sean Penn Hooks Up With Petra Nemcova

Aw shucks. We can't get the gossip scoop on anyone. Recently separated actor Sean Penn showed up with model Petra Nemcova at Elton John's post-Oscar bash. Yada yada. Moan Quivers reports Sir Elton's hair looks like tufted rooster head feathers. Love the charity ball, hate the hair. At least Sir Elton didn't cancel his annual fundraiser out of spite...unlike disgruntled actors/directors who were nowhere to be found on Oscar's red carpet.

Celebrity Politics Morsel From Heaven

With no intention of slowing down, we troll cyberspace collecting morsels of celebrity politics wherever they may hide. Only when we have amassed enough hard copy evidence of this troubling trend, only then will we consider our mission accomplished. How much is enough? I don't know. It's an instinctive "I'll know it when I see it" intuitive knowledge kind of thing.

Luckily, every now and then, one of these morsels falls into our laps. I say luckily because we just wrapped Moan Quivers' live blog of the Oscars and still have work to do. Put another pot of coffee on the stove! It's going to be a long and lonesome night.

The mixture of reality and fantasy in this Billary article was too good to pass by. Last Saturday's SNL, first live episode since the writers went back to work, hit a high note. Funny skits. No noticeable mistakes. Tina Fey should be proud. Now, one of the all-time best episodes of SNL -- one of my all-time favorite TV shows -- holds a place of high honor in the raison d'etre of this blog.

America is fast becoming a culture of superficiality and fluff while the majority of us are too distracted to care. Another drop in the bucket. Our mission continues.

DA 200mm Casual Portraits

Spewker Live Blogs The Oscars 80th Annual Academy Awards

Early? Catch the Worst Dresses in Oscar History.

Late? Here are the winners.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for tonight's live blog of the Oscars. If you enjoyed our site, tell all your friends and subscribe, subscribe. We're in the process of developing a regular weekly show for Moan Quivers and we provide daily updates on celebrity politics at our blog. Have a great night!

DA 200mm Doll Test

f/2.8 @ 1/30 sec

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80th Annual Academy Awards Live Blog Oscars

We're watching the 80th Annual Academy Awards on TV and allowing our virtual Hollywood correspondent, Moan Quivers, to live blog the Oscars. Anyone who's interested is urged to stick around. Moan couldn't be any more excitied. She's wearing her best red dress, drippy diamonds, and prowling the red carpet looking for celebrity victims to disparage. Moan is kind at heart, but loves to skewer.

Moani also plans to make some predictions and gossip. The TV channels her comments will be related to are:

TVGuide
ABC

Hope everyone has a great time tonight. Moan is loaded and raring to go. Ciao!

DA 200mm Aperture Test

California Light

Potato stuffing (kugel)

I'm going to share an old family recipe with you. I got it from my mother, who got it from her mother, who got it from her mother and so on. It originally came from Russia with my great-great grandmother. I have no idea how the recipe may have changed over the years except for the changes I've made. Even though I've altered the recipe a little, it still tastes the same to me as when my mother made it. The original recipe from my mother had an egg in it, and she dotted it before baking with butter or margarine. The recipe has bread in it but sometimes I use cooked buckwheat instead. In the "olden days" everything was grated by hand, but a food processor makes the prep very fast.

We called this recipe "stuffing" in my family, because that's how it was used - to stuff a turkey for a holiday dinner. There was always a huge pan of it in addition to the stuffed version, because we could never get enough. It even tastes amazing re-heated, or just cold. My mother served it for every holiday dinner and we never tired of it. Over the years of raising a family, I have served it for every holiday, too, and now my kids are continuing the tradition. The first time I made it, I was delighted to discover that the enticing smell I associated with holidays came from the stuffing, and not the turkey. Yay.

I think that because I associated making the stuffing with hectic holiday cooking for a crowd, I thought it might be too much trouble to present on an easy cooking blog, but really, it's a snap. It took me no time to make a recipe. (For holidays I usually make two or three recipes, depending on who's coming. If my middle son will be there, for example, I have to make a lot!) Now I think I won't wait for a holiday to make it, it would be an interesting side dish to share with friends or family at any meal.

Potato "stuffing" (kugel) serves 4 to 6
-three medium potatoes, peeled (I used organic russet potatoes.)
-three medium onions
-three slices sandwich bread (I used whole wheat)
-two large cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper
-olive oil or margarine (optional)
-paprika
food processor (or fine hand grater for you traditionalists)

Peel the potatoes and put them in a bowl of cold water so they won't turn weird colors. Peel the onions and cut into small cubes. Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside. Put about one onion into the processor bowl and process until nearly smooth. Cut a potato into small cubes and add to processor. (Processing an onion before adding the potato seems to keep the potato white) Alternate cubed onion and potato until all is smooth. As the food processor fills, empty the mixture into a large bowl. If there are a few potato lumps it won't matter. When the potatoes and onions are all in the bowl, add the garlic and mix. Add the salt (more or less to taste) and pepper and mix. Stir in the bread cubes. If there seems to be a lot of liquid from the potatoes in the mix, stir in a tablespoon of matzoh meal or flour.

Place the mix into an oiled 9-inch square baking dish or any casserole dish of about 1-1/2 quarts. (I used a Le Creuset ceramic dish but sometimes I use a stainless steel pan and sometimes a ceramic baking dish I made) Sprinkle with paprika, and drizzle with olive oil or dot with margarine, if desired. I drizzled mine with two teaspoons of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake about one hour in a pre-heated 350˚oven. Uncover and bake 20 minutes more until the top is brown and the edges are crispy. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish. (Different kinds of potatoes and different shaped dishes can require different baking times. Taste a little bit from the center to see if it tastes cooked, and if it is, uncover it to brown and crisp.)

Instead of bread, you can add a cup of cooked buckwheat to the potato-onion mix. It's really good and a little heartier.

You can double, triple, whatever, the recipe to serve the number of people you have. I usually make two or three recipes. It will take about twice as long to bake a double recipe. Cold leftovers are delicious!

Spewker Virtual Hollywood Correspondent Will "Live" Blog Oscars

As we've been hinting for months, The Spewker is developing a new feature for our virtual Hollywood correspondent, Moan Quivers. Yes, Moani is in negotiations for her very own interactive webcast, tenatively titled "It's Moan Quivers."

Um...erm...still working on that title.

Moan's interactive premiere won't be via webcast. Instead, she'll live* blog from the conveniently located pink Twitter bot stationed here in the middle column. Tune in this Sunday to chat with Moan (we hope) as she reports live* from the virtual red carpet at the Kodak Theatre. Twitterphiles can enable Oscar tweets directly from the horse's, uh, Moani's mouth.

The Spewker's Virtual Hollywood correspondent Moan Quivers will live* blog the Oscars this Sunday, February 24, 2008, beginning 7:15 p.m. EST.

*Moan Quivers is a pending trademark of The Spewker, all rights reserved. Moan is is a fictional virtual personality who exists strictly on the Internet. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental and is not meant to suggest any relationship to such persons.

Free State Outreach to Texas and Ohio Voters Before Democratic Debate

I am an undefined bit of fluff, a zygote in a swelling tide of democratic debate. Thoughts and opinions, what much do they matter coming from tiny insignificant me? Well, I do read, think, and have many years of serious legal training under my belt. For what it's worth, here are the thoughts swirling around in my muddled mind as America heads into tonight's face-off between Clinton and Obama at the University of Texas.

According to Bill, Texas and Ohio are his wife's last stand. You matter, wonderful people of the north and south, can't you see how much you matter? Bill hopes you will self-inflate, thereby carrying the little missus to certain victory. Can't help but focus on another famous Lone Star do-or-die battle cry, "Remember the Alamo," and think tonight's debate could go down in history as "Remember Obama's Show."

I never watch daytime TV. Too many too full of themselves talking heads. Too much distraction. Scouring the Internet for any sign of life outside the University of Texas, I am sorely disappointed. Desperate, I flip on the television, wasteland of last resort. The airwaves are crowded with a McCain lobbyist scandal. Impropriety denied. Huckabee angling for opportunity, yet mum about the rumors and what they may mean. What about the anticipated lines outside the Recreational Sports Center? Where is the streaming video when you need it?

Obama-mania hits Texas. Par-TAY! Can you dig it? Can't get a seat at the rec center? No problem. Party on.

It's not over until it's over. Texas and Ohio hold the fate of this election in their poll-driven hands. Wondering how it feels to have that kind of electoral power. The historic turning tide of the Potomac Primaries long since forgotten, pundits now hammer away at the nature of the election process and clout of big states. My sense of fundamental fairness wants the majority of states, even little states, to decide. My knowledge of America's election process says otherwise. Big states decide because they contain the majority of the population. That's understandable and acceptable. But, the issue becomes more problematic when examined from the preconceived notion of "one vote one voice." Nevertheless, a Texas vote counts more than a vote from the nation's capital because America is a democratic republic, not a utopian democracy. Try explaining that to my 16-year old and his eyes begin to glaze over. I hate my diminished capacity to elect the next president, but you'll never catch me moving to Texas. Just too darn hot.

There will be riots. So muse those in the know with 1968 Chicago visions dancing in their heads. Will CSN&Y reunite to compose another song?

Michelle Obama is not unpatriotic, contrary to popular sentiment. America needs to understand where Michelle Obama is coming from. Walk a mile in my shoes, walk a mile in my shoes. And before you can abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes. The real story is the Clinton camp's outrageous attempt to sling mud at Michelle Obama. A wife's attempt to characterize the message of her husband's candidacy misses the mark. So what? Let's examine the other junior Senator's remarks about America, shall we? Better yet, let's examine voter reaction to Clinton-Politics-As-Usual.

Hillary's plagiarism attack against Obama had me in stitches after reading this manifesto. Movie lines direct from a Nicholson movie, the actor claiming Billary is the best man for the job, recently regurgitated as campaign rhetoric? Be still my heart. That's gold, Jerry, gold for a tiny celebrity politics blog bobbing about, trying to stay afloat against the relentless swell from atop the food chain.

Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama will participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at The University of Texas at Austin tonight, February 21, 2008, from 7-8:30 p.m. CST.

Feeling Like Peter Frampton After Thirty Plus Years

Peter FramptonGEICO commercials

No way! No way, man! GEICO convinced Peter Frampton to pull out his hair!



Still cheeky after all these years.

And yes, I feel like you do. Hair today, gone tomorrow. What a ride!

Crowds Flock to Cult of Obama in Battle for Texas and Ohio

I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told. I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles such are promises. All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest...

If you believe in magic come along with me. We'll dance until morning, just you and me and maybe, if the music is right, I'll meet ya tomorrow so late at night...

I see the world, feel the chill. Which way to go, windowsill? I see the words on a rocking horse of time. I see the birds in the rain...

Yeah, but even if, honey, I told you daddy now. You wouldn't believe me anyway, no, no, no. Maybe you will now. I've changed a lot somehow. Let me do what I say...

With nods to Simon and Garfunkel, John Sebastian, Pearl Jam, and Janis Queen of R&B, in that order, themes of belief, hope, magic, and change have long held a special place in the hearts of Americans.

Now Barack Obama rides a wave of popular immortalization. Last night on Nightline, el Lay columnist Joel Stein spoke of the "Cult of Obama" as the program compared this political phenom to craze propelled Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and yes teeny boppers, Hannah Montana. Can he live up to the hype? Can anyone?

I can't wait to see the line outside the Thompson Conference Center tomorrow. Maybe the masses will start lining up tonight.

Obama has racked up impressive victories throughout the land, a perfect 11-0 since the Super Tuesday Tossup. Billary continues to battle from against the ropes, badly bloodied and limping toward the Texas and Ohio primaries. FYI, Vermont and Rhode Island also head for the polls on March 4th, but no one seems much to care. To the larger amount of delegates goes the glory.

Meanwhile, official murmurs of "down for the count" begin to emanate from the press. Dare we dream this little shoestring budget of a blog is more widely read than imagined? I understand the whole "great minds think alike" thing, but lately, the amount of idea grabbing on the Internet is veritable cause for pause. More about this, ahem, another time.

As the press makes hay from Obama's roll in Wisconsin and Hawaii, I remain as confused as everyone else about the Washington State primary. This much is clear, however, yesterday's outcome is largely symbolic. Nary a word from the national news media on the subject which is why the general public thinks only two states voted. Pity. The outcome in Washington State comprises Obama's 11-0 tally, meaning the true number of successive wins deserves a serious do-over. One would think more journalists would care.

Getting back to themes of dreams, belief, once in a lifetime, directions, change, and political fluff, here's some flotsam from BETH Productions that kind of hits the spot. Election 2008 just cast Obama in the part of Troy. Casting for the part of Sharpay are still in negotiations.

...but if you get lost and lose yourself, what does it really mean...