Misanthropic Meanderings

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Location: California, United States

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Food Fight

I'm watching Man vs Food and I just don't get this phenomena. What's the point of taking something we really just need for survival-food-and making it into some sort of an endurance sport? The mind boggles. I'm watching 2 men eat a pizza about 24" diameter with more meat protein and fat than anyone needs to consume in a day. Or 2 days. Why? What's the point of a spectacle like this? What's worse is the fact that hunger in America is growing. More and more families can't scrape together the money for half the crap on this pizza that, by the way, the consuming duo can't finish. And the remainders-which could be a family size pizza by themselves, will be heading for the trash. I'll be honest, I'm not too fond of the culture of feast while others famine, but apart from an individual ethical stance, there's very little that can be done. Why can't people donate large meals to charity groups instead? That's a lot better than making a sport out of gluttony.

Ah well, here's another recipe. Not quite fine dining, but it's been good so far. And it stars little bits of food that are quite healthy.

1lb ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs or just plain breadcrumbs
2tbs of chopped garlic
about 20 leaves of fresh basil, chiffonnaded (stack them into a pile, roll it into a cigar, chop the cigar into little rolls)
1 tsp pepper flakes
1 tblsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Put every thing into a big mixing bowl and using your very clean, fresh washed hands, mix the whole deal together. In a large sauteing pan, coat the bottom with a nice spray of olive oil (a tsp, max). While that's heating up, with a table spoon or a melon baller, start scooping out little bits of your mix and rolling them into balls. Nothing fancy, just a firm meatball. Do this until your meat is gone. Now place those little balls into your pan and brown each side until, well, brown. This is your first step.

Now to make it a meal. Here's where you can make it different everytime. You can take half a pound of greens like spinach, or, in my garden, arugula, mince and add over your meatballs. Mushrooms go nicely and fresh from the garden cherry tomato halves. You can also just pop a big 16oz can of chopped or crushed tomatoes over this. What's nice is that extra vegetables allow you to get more out of the meal, like say, a lunch. In fact, this is a great way to hide extra vegetables that your family won't eat, like say, eggplant. Mince it fine and they'll never know. 2 cans of tomatoes, a pound of spinach, some onions, mushrooms and even finely chopped carrots drive up the nutritional value. Pour it over some long grain brown rice, orzo or rotini pasta and you have a great meal.

I've even set a spoonful of pasta over a bed of lettuce with this on top. No pics as of yet, because it get's eaten way too fast for shoots. Have fun!

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Friday, August 07, 2009

Shark Bait



I've decided something. I've decided I can't stand Discovery Channel's Shark Week. Sharks are dangerous. But so are you. You're more likely destroying the life of a few hundred sharks rather than 1 shark harming you. Discovery Channel just amps up the paranoia with shark attack stories and stupid slasher flick type commercials. Sharks rarely attack humans and are increasingly beset with habitat reductions and fishing kills. It's completely irresponsible for the Discovery Channel to spend it's time doing more to add the myth of predatory shark. These are some amazing, ancient animals that we still don't fully understand. Yet we're killing them off.

I just don't get it. Why does the Discover Channel take such a stupid tack on this subject? Can't they figure out something else to fill programming? If I can, they should be able to.


übercool prehistoric frilled shark

Learn more about the troubles sharks are facing.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Get To Know Your Grazzroots!

I thought it might be nice to get to know some of these helpful organizations pulling people together and directing them like a stream of invectives towards Democrat Representatives, often representatives that are not their own. I know many on the right don't care too much for groups like Move On or Organizing For America, since they are 1. liberal and 2. Spawn of Satan for not agreeing with you, but they are groups that grew out of citizens wanting to organise. It's kinda why it's called grassroots, because they grew, 1 by 1, interested person by interested person. This current crop, didn't exactly start that way.

First up is... Conservatives For Patients Rights.
Now, when I saw this group, I thought, "right on, I can get behind a group for patient's rights." Then I found out how they jumped out fully formed with a big old website and bumper stickers and a set of talking points and a full network... Meet Mr. Rick Scott. He's real peach. He was also former CEO of Columbia Hospital Corporation. This is a company (and don't be fooled by the fact that it's a hospital, it is a company) was fined 1.7 billion, that's right BILLION, for overcharging Medicaid & Medicare. So, this jerk, is a key factor in why Medicaid and Medicare are getting drained. He's only not an ex-con because he stole a huge sum instead of a small one. That's how justice works in America. Steal $100, go to jail. Steal a few billion, get a fine, lose your job, keep your money. You can't arrest a corporation.

So, he's made his money off of the little people's illness. As far as sucking off the public teat goes, he's beaten every supposed urban welfare queen with a cadillac. I'm not saying he can't be the sugar daddy for a burgeoning peoples group, I'm just saying that he's protecting a status quo that has worked very well for him, not so well for all around. I'd also like to point out that...CPR doesn't seem to have any actual solutions to offer. Maybe that's why shouting down your reps and other citizens is deemed correct.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Farmer in the dell

Here we are in high summer and the garden is going along it's merry way. It's the most meditative thing I do besides Warcraft.
I must say, I wasn't sure if I could grow anything besides a tomato and some weak ass peppers. The idea of growing something that would eventually make it to my table was as far away as that size 2 swimsuit from Victoria's Secret. It's highly possible it could happen, but acts of god seem to be required.
But, here's this summer's food report.


about 3lbs of cherry tomatoes, unfortunately, I let too many ripen on the vine and lost a few. Not that I'm running out of cherry tomatoes.



I already ate this season's first oro blanco eggplant. And it was delicious.



One of the first squash. The damn bush is getting bigger and bigger tho.



Considering how many blossoms are on my two squash vines, I'm thinking there will be a lot of succotash.



And this pumpkin vine is taking advantage of both the free trellis and a pine tree.



This is the arugula, which has been hacked down to more manageable size. Twice. It grows like a weed.



And here's to the fall's future eats, my potato patch! I think there's some yukon gold in there and I can't wait.

I think everyone will have to think about ways they can provide for themselves, no matter how small the space. It's been hard, but it has been worth it.

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Saturday, August 01, 2009

MMMmmmm, pie


Still annoyed, so I'm still cooking.

That pic, up above, is the refrigerator cheesecake pie.

1 package of organic cream cheese
1 package of neufchatel cheese
1/3 cup of non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup of honey
1 tblspoon of vanilla

that be the cream cheese filling

1 bag of frozen raspberries (brought to room temperature)
1/2 cup of powdered sugar (so sue me, I used sugar)
2 tsps of lemon juice

that be the fruit filling

take 1 chocolate pie crust
put 1/2 of the fruit into the crust
then fill with cream cheese filling
add the rest of the fruit filling on top
with a fork or a chopstick,
carefully mix the 2 fillings together to create the swirl effect.

Pop into fridge for about an hour to cool, then freeze it a touch more, about another, to get it really cold for those hot days.

Serves 8, except in this sugar happy household.

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