Busman's Holiday -- Part VII

Yes, we're still on Saturday.  Heading home to Camp Grown-Ups for dinner but stopping in New Buffalo to grab one of these and...

... load up at Barney's full service store.  As opposed to 3/4 service.  Or half service.

Consider yourselves told.

'Tis the season.

You don't find brussel sprouts like this at your big-box grocery stores.  (Hostess Rona, doing her best Carol Merrill impersonation.)

Steak, locally grown sweet corn and green beans, garlicky mashed potatoes and fresh heirloom tomatoes with basil and a tangy viniagrette... and that's on top of a groaning board of cheese (5 kinds), charcuterie (3 kinds), olives, spicy mustard and crostini.

(I'd have taken photos, but we were too ravenous to stop long enough to do so.)  

Busman's Holiday - Part II

A day trip to Three Oaks, MI included a stop at the local farmers market...

... and a dash into Drier's Meat Market for some of their famous pepper sticks, beef jerky and hot mustard.

Yummy.

Busman's Holiday -- Austin, Texas

Mmmmm... Texas-style BBQ at the Salt Lick!

Theie sweet plum tea-smoked duck tacos were so awesome I had them twice in three days.  The Hot Box Diner's truck isn't much to look at, but their food is to die for!  (P.S. -- They have bacon and bleu cheese queso, too.)

Biscuits and... Groovy.

Yes, I miss all that fabulous Texas food!

Roadside Diner

With the big football game (that you can't mention by name without a license from the NFL) right around, thought I'd share this cholesterol bomb of a list of recipes from Thrillist (Why, yes, I do subscribe to a site aimed primarily at men.  You got a problem with that?) for your snacking pleasure.  With recipes like Nacho Daddy's Lasagna and Cheesy Buffalo Pigskin Tots... your arteries may be screaming for mercy, but your taste buds and tummy will thank you!

In Memoriam

It's taken a few days to process the news from my Biker Blogson that dear friend Donny "Walrilla" Smith had passed away.  That one took my breath away.

For those who had the pleasure of meeting him at a blog meet, I'll always remember him in the kitchen whipping up two of his down home Texas specials:

A steaming, spicy bowl of Texas red...

... and...

... a sweet and tangy slice of Vinegar Pah (Pie)

A do-rag wearing biker boy with a heart of pure mush, Camp BlownStar will never be the same without him.  

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, who he loved very, very much.

Vaya con Dios, mi amigo.

Pop Quiz

Roasted red peppers in anything other than roasted red pepper soup - Yes or No?

Roadside Diner

Delicious noms and affectionate skritchies -- what could be more satisfying?

Rubber-Necking

Only a healthy belch at the end could make this more perfect!

Farmers Market

My friend El Capitan is bemoaning the fact that he needs to get off the packaged food and onto "rabbit food" again.  Since my last visit to the doctor, I've had to reevaluate my own eating habits, but have come up with a lunch that's not only healthy, but I look forward to every day:

Omnibabe's Yummy Summer Salad:

1 or 2 fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into chunks
3-4" piece of cucumber, quartered and sliced
A couple of green onions, sliced or a healthy handful of chopped sweet onion (Walla Walla or Vidalia)
Salt
Pepper
Feta, bleu cheese or goat cheese crumbles (or a handful of shredded cheese of your choice)
Kalamata olives
EVOO (don't be cheap -- buy a fancy-schmancy one)
Balsamic vinegar (or white balsamic)

Plus any or all of the following:

1/2 a red, yellow or orange pepper, rough chopped (or green pepper if you like 'em -- I don't)
1 small, ripe avocado, diced
Sugar snap peas, rough chopped
Thawed frozen peas
Thawed frozen corn
3-4" piece zuccini or summer squash, quartered and sliced
Handful of fresh broccoli or cauliflower, rough chopped
Chiffonade of fresh basil or oregano to taste
Handful of rinsed canned cannellini, kidney or black beans

And, if you really, really need animal protein:

1 small can of tuna packed in water, drained, or
1-2 strips cooked bacon, crumbled, or
Handful of chopped cooked chicken, or
Handful of chopped cooked turkey

NO LETTUCE!

Line a bowl with tomato, then salt and pepper to taste. Add the cukes on top, and salt/pepper again.*  Layer the rest of the veggies on top. Drizzle the whole mess with a little bit of olive and then a generous splooch of balsamic. Stir, cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Stir again, then garnish with a sprinkle of cheese crumbles (and a protein, if you need it -- I don't) and half a dozen olives.

This is seriously yummy stuff, which I now crave more than just about anything. I now keep a bottle of balsamic in the fridge and EVOO in the cupboard at the office and shop either the French Market at my train station, or the local farmers markets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm eating fresh, healthy and TASTY (not to mention pretty darned cheap), and I'm never hungry.
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One More Thing:

Forget the low-fat salad dressing (which generally tastes like crap and is loaded with sugar).  Apparently you need a little fat in order to absorb the good stuff in your salad.
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*The salt helps release the juices in the tomatoes and cukes and, when mixed with the EVOO and balsamic, helps to make a lovely low calorie salad dressing.

Roadside Diner

Because I love me some dudes...

Dude Cupcakes (that's an oxymoron, I know)...

... and Double Meat Dudewichs!

Mmmmmmmm!

Rubber-Necking

The grossest thing I've read about in a very long time?

A 63-year-old woman became 'pregnant' with 12 baby squid after eating calamari, according to a claim in a bio-tech report. 

The real-life 'octo-mum', from South Korea, was eating a portion of cooked whole squid when she felt a sharp pain in her mouth.

The bizarre claim has been made in a scientific paper from the National Center for Biotechnology Information in Bethesda, Maryland. 

The lady told doctors that she could feel something in her mouth which they described as 'bug-like organisms'. 

When examined, the doctors found 'baby cephalopods' attached to her mouth. These are small pods, covered in a cement-like material to make them stick. 

Inside the pods is an 'ejaculatory apparatus' and sperm - with the apparatus expelling the sperm quite forcefully. 

After the victim of the 'attack' was hospitalised, doctors removed the baby cephalopods from her gums, tongue and cheek. It was only then that the pods were formally identified as 'squid spermatophores.'

Eeew! (I'll be having nightmares about this for days.)

Whoa, Nelly!

One of my friends accepted my invitation to Fab.com, and I got a little spending money from Fab as a result. I tripped across an offering from a trio of handmade sea salt caramels (original, dark chocolate and cabernet) from Sea + Cane Sweets and I couldn't resist -- especially since it cost me little more than the shipping to indulge.

Oh. Mah. Freakin'. Gawd.

Ooey, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth perfection, every dad-blamed one of them!

I like 'em all, but these Dark Chocolate beauties...

... really should be declared illegal because they're so addictive.

How good?  So darned good that I looked up Sea + Cane Sweets on the intertubes, only to find out that they're right in my own back yard.

I'm of the belief that Valentine's Day is over-hyped and overrated.  If you really want your sweetie to know you love him or her, do something special on any of the 364 other days of the year.  And these sinful confections from Sea + Cane Sweets would be an awful special gift indeed.

(And if you want an invite to Fab, email me at omnibus - dot - driver - at - gmail - dot - com.  They've got cool, very contemporary stuff, and they ship within a short amount of time, unlike some of the other online discount luxury goods sites.)

Drive-Bys

When you laugh in the face of the Fates...

Diner suffers cardiac arrest while eating a Triple Bypass Burger in restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill

... the one named Karma can be the biggest bitch of all.
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So that's why I re-read my faves over and over again:

The first time people read - or watch - through, they are focused on events and stories.

The second time through, the repeated experience reignites the emotions caused by the book or film, and allows people to savour those emotions at leisure.

George R.R. Martin, Nancy Atherton, Jacqueline Carey, Karen Miller, Gary Jennings, Janet Evanovich (books 1-10, anyway), and many, many more are all old and dear friends of mine.
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Today's Chicago Tribune advocates discussing problems with your neighbors before calling in the police: 

Calling the cops almost has become a default solution, one that's not especially productive.

"No one likes having the police called on them," said Will Reimers, a neighborhood contact officer with the Boise (Idaho) Police Department. "Oftentimes that makes things worse, when suddenly police show up and start talking to you. People resent that. So it's not the best first step."

What is the best first step? Try talking to each other.

"It seems today that talking to your neighbors is something that has fallen out of fashion," Reimers said. "It's just not done as much anymore. But it's an old technique that should be resurrected."

Which all sounds good until you realize that today's Daily Mail illustrates the flip side of that solution:

Franklin Santana, 47, allegedly went to his neighbour's home in the Tacony region of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to complain about his dogs.

The neighbour, Tyrirk Harris, 27, was licensed to carry a gun and had it in a holster as the two talked on the front porch on Tuesday, police said.

‘I (saw) them arguing, then from there a little scuffle,’ neighbour Miguel Rivera told the Philadelphia Daily News. ‘Then I heard the shots.’

Mr Santana was found dead outside the Torresdale Avenue home after confronting Harris about the mess constantly left by his dogs, police said.

I'd say you really need to pick your battles -- and you might want to let the police handle the ones that involve an armed and angry neighbor after all.

Meme-Meme-Meme-Meme-Meme!

Have you ever done so much laundry in one day that your whole house smells like fabric softener?

Have you ever been gobsmacked by the sheer numbers of socks you have?

Do you have enough pairs of knickers to last you for over a month?

Your Lucky Underwear is Orange

You have an intense personality and crave extreme emotional experiences. And your lucky orange underwear will help you take it to a whole new level. Adventure and danger don't phase you - in fact you enjoy dicey situations. You're the first to take a risk, and the first to get the payoff. And while your risks sometimes result in great rewards, they also sometimes result in devastating failures. If you want to have intense moments without always risking all you have, put on your orange underpants. They'll help you experience life with rich emotions, no matter what you're doing.

What Color Is Your Lucky Underwear?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

(By the way -- have you taken my survey yet? No? Click here to take survey.)
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I do simple memes.  Om Keesie, on the other hand, occasionally serves up a doozy:

Now be honest

Answer if you dare!
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The Westminster Kennel Club show finals start tomorrow.  Yahoo!

Listen to Steve Dale interview David Frei, who is the cohost and analyst for USA Network's airing of the show, about which dogs are the current favorites and what new breeds to look for tomorrow night here.

How much do I love the Westminster?


see more dog and puppy pictures
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One more silly meme?

You Are Innovative

You're the type of person who is always putting a new spin on things. You are very creative. You sometimes feel like you are a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, but that's okay! You'll build your own square hole. You are cutting edge to the point of being avant-garde. You are extremely inventive. You can't help but be original. You love to experiment and try new things.

The Sandwich Test

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Night Moves

I woke up at 3 a.m. with the jingle from the old Holsum Bread commercial running at full ear worm through my skull:

The Holsum Bread Song

At three in the morning
When you're in bed
The Holsum bakers
Are baking bread

And that is the reason
It tastes so good
Like oven baked Holsum Bread should

H O L S U M
H O L S U M
H O L S U M
Holsum Bread 

If you grew up in Chicago, you won't get that little number out of your head for days. I blame Mike, who drove me right by the Holsum outlet on Milwaukee New Years Day and teased up that morsel of nostalgia from the back of my psyche.  Consider yourself lucky that I couldn't find it on Youtube.

Quick Stop

I swear this is blasphemy:

America, let's be honest on this point: It is not so great to have pie. For decades now, this confection of fragile dough and chunky cooked fruit has been invading our dessert menus and national mythology, trying to persuade us of its honored standing among baked goods and the gods. Pie is delicious, we are told. Pie is an honest treat. Pie is what we call those who are dear to us ("sweetie pie") and those with a place in the nation's history ("American as"). In an age of gruesome culture wars, pie remains temperamentally Swiss, doing business with all quarters and reaping the rewards of broad acceptance.

You can have your cake and your cupcakes and your brownies and your cookies.

I. Like. Pie.

Raspberry, cherry, apple, pumpkin, banana cream, pecan, chess, vinegar, rhubarb, strawberry, blackberry, Key Lime, lemon meringue -- all of 'em. (Did I mention raspberry? I really, really love raspberry.) With homemade flaky and delicious crust, especially.

I love the contrast between sweet, tart and a bit of salt from the crust. The crunch of the fork through the crust. The layers of flavor and texture.

I love baking them. I love eating them. Plain. Ala mode. With country cream.

The best foods in the world are either messy to eat or use every pot and utensil in the kitchen to make. Who wants neat food, for cripes sake??? Yuck.

Nathan Heller is a Philistine. And has no taste buds. So there.
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Update: 11 Irresistible Chocolate Pies -- yum!

Drive-Bys

How major media in the U.S. reports the Occupy Wall Street mess:

So enthused about promoting the far-left protests, ABC anchor Diane Sawyer on Monday night's World News championed “the Occupy Wall Street movement” by ludicrously claiming that “as of tonight, it has spread to more than 250 American cities, more than a thousand countries -- every continent but Antarctica.”

How they look at it across the pond:

A very privileged protest: Wearing $300 jeans and from some of the most exclusive schools, the children of the one per cent out for a good time at Occupy Wall Street

Which do you suppose is the more unbiased reporting?
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A "rewind button" for blurry photos? Ooooo! Faster, please! (Yesterday, if I had my druthers.)
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Currently unemployed? Read this article (with an admittedly depressing title), for some good food for thought about how you may be sabotaging your own prospects... and what you can do to change.
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One of the things I love about fall is the return of squashes in great quantity in my local supermarket. This article not only has great descriptions of all the differing varieties, it also has some great recipes for a slow cooker soup and two different stuffed squashes. Yum!
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I was glad that Chris Christie declined to join the current presidential race because I honestly believe that he should at least finish his first full term in office before running for something else. Now that he's come out for Romney, I'm really glad he's not running... because it would have been more of the same thing Mitt's known for.
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Quote of the Day:

"If the candidates are smart, they'll make it be 5, 5, 5, 5, and more 5." -- Ann Althouse

Damn straight, Skippy.
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Teach your children?

With every passing hour, the meeting between Chicago Public Schools officials and the Chicago Teachers Union to discuss longer school days appears less likely.

Last week, CTU President Karen Lewis had said she and her union officers were ready to talk about the district's controversial plan, but suggested union headquarters as a meeting location.

CPS countered by suggesting the two parties meet at a school that has chosen to add 90 minutes to its school day.

And since then, the talks have stalled.

This morning, schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard suggested Brown Elementary as a meeting site.

CPS officials have not heard back from CTU, said district spokeswoman Becky Carroll. CTU spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin said she too does not know if a meeting will take place today.

It's called compromise or neutral territory, people, and you ought to learn how to find it. Both sides ought to be ashamed of themselves for the example they are setting for the very students they purport to care so much for.


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Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Drive-Bys

Hank Williams... a smart-ass comment... and it seems I'm not the only one asking that question.
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Molten Chocolate Cate with Maple Whipped Cream? Oooo.
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In the news today:

If you're hoping for a reprieve from heavy snowfall in Chicago this winter, you may be out in the cold.

Meteorologists at AccuWeather.com predict that Chicago will get between 50 and 58 inches of snow this winter, on par with last winter's total of 57.9 inches.

Oh, goody. (I was afraid of that.)
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Ear Worm of the Day:



Yes, Mike posted it first... but only because I planted the worm in his ear at about 6:00 a.m. today. I'm nice like that, you know.

Drive-Bys

True confession -- sometimes instead of doing laundry I'll buy new undies to get me through the week. (Tell the truth now. You've done it, too.)

A couple of months ago I rushed through a mall and grabbed two packages of underpants in what I thought was the correct size off a sale table in a store that I visit once or twice a decade, and put the brand new packages in my undies draw for just such an emergency.

A few weeks later I was running low and had no time to do laundry, so I hauled out and opened a new package of panties. When I unfolded them, I immediately realized I had made a mistake and bought one size too large.


Unlike Bridget Jones' gigantic granny pants, which were made of spandex, the ones I'd bought were made of cotton -- cheap cotton with elastic at the waist and leg bands.

Urk.

It was the giant pants or going commando.

I opted for the giant pants.

Do you recall the tale of me and the self-destructing pantyhose? Sometimes my foundations and I simply do not get along.

The giant pants, like the pantyhose, fit just fine (okay, a little loose -- but not so bad) just out of the package. But as the day went on they started expanding in all directions, except for the waistband and leg bands.

The waistband ended up scooching northwards, missing my bra band by a mere inch.

The butt boofed out like a gangsta's boxers.


The sides expanded until it looked like the plastic pants my mother used to cover my cloth diapers as a baby.


And I had no time to do laundry or go shopping for at least three more days.

Yes, I should have thrown them out. I've laundered, then binned them at least three times but my penurious Yankee conscience just won't let me let go of them.

And I'll probably end up wearing them again, too.
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The Chicago Air & Water Show starts tomorrow, but we've had fighter jets buzzing the city for a couple of days now in practice. Ear worm of the day?


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Yes, this is extra naughty. Yes, it made me laugh and laugh and laugh some more.
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Not only are her photographs beautiful, Jen McKen's ethics are, too:

Last night I posted on facebook the following: “If I’m wrong, please speak up. I came across a page on facebook that was created (by someone under a ficticious name) thats purpose is to bully, ridicule and say mean and hurtful things about their class mates. While visiting the page, I found several teenage girls that have scheduled sessions with me for their senior pictures. I am emailing them tomorrow to cancel their shoots. I do not want them to represent my business and I am beside myself at how MEAN and CRUEL they were on that page.”

You go, girl.

(A tip of the cap to Her Primordial Majesty.)
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My down home girlfriend Paula kicks Tony Bourdain's arrogant ass:

“My good friends Rachael, Guy and Sandra are the most generous charitable folks I know. They give so much of their time and money to help the food-deprived, sick children and abandoned animals. I have no idea what Anthony has done to contribute besides being irritable.”

Go read the whole thing here.
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Drive-Bys

I rarely buy books that aren't on Kindle, but I'm making an exception for one. According to George R.R. Martin:

I'm delighted to be able to announce the forthcoming publication of a new, deluxe, limited edition of A GAME OF THRONES, to be published by my friends at Subterranean Press, and illustrated by the massively talented TED NASMITH.

Ted is widely considered to be one of the "Big Three" of Tolkien illustrators; along with Alan Lee and John Howe, he has brought Middle Earth to life like no one else. And he he is no stranger to my own world, either. Ted painted the all of the wonderful landscapes for the gorgeous 2011 Ice & Fire calendar, with what I consider to be THE definitive depictions of thirteen of the great castles of Westeros.

Zing! Right to the top of my wish list with a bullet.
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Speaking of GRRM, cartoonist Bill Amend clearly thinks like me.
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Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! There's only one Baby and only one Johnny Castle.

Leave It. The Fuck. Alone.
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A new study finds that most people hit by cars in the city are in a crosswalk

Oh really? That's news to me...
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Gouda, Bacon and Pear with Balsamic Onions Sandwich. Ooooooo!