The Apostate ran a post today titled, simply enough, Sean Bell is Not A Feminist Issue. While I can’t find much to fault in the title, the substance of her essay is something else again. In it, she takes to task both Feministe and Feministing for framing the Bell shooting in feminist terms. Commence the disagreement. (more…)
Okay, maybe you don’t need a potato ricer, as such. But once you have one, it’s a bit like having a microwave oven; you’re not sure what you did without it. If, when you’re mashing potatoes, you wonder how long it’s going to be before you end up with a repetetive strain injury, a potato ricer will be a welcome addition to your kitchen arsenal. Mine cost all of ten bucks, purchased at Target. You can also get a Potato Ricer
So much for catchy nomenclature. At least I can claim truth in advertising. “What’s that?” “Oh, it’s a sweet potato thingy.” You may, if you’d prefer, call it a whatzit, doodad, or just refer to it as “Jasper,” for all I care.
But I digress. Now that you’ve got your potato ricer (see previous entry), here’s something you can make with it. It’s a bit faster variation on a recipe my mother makes every Thanksgiving. You can use an electric beater or a potato masher, but the ricer will give better results. What you’ll need:
Two decent-sized sweet potatoes or yams (I’ve used both)
1 small can of crushed pineapple
A bit (say, a quarter- or half-cup) of shredded coconut
Spices and nuts (optional; see below)
First, you’ll have to deal with the coconut. If you want it sweet, you can just dump it in straight from the package, and skip the remainder of this paragraph (you can also toast it if you’d like, and then skip the rest of this paragraph). If you want it moreso for the texture, and want a flavor that says “coconut” and not “would you like some coconut with your sugar,” find a small bowl, put the coconut in there first, and pour enough milk over it to cover it. Then, cover and refrigerate the bowl, draining it when you’re ready to use it.
Next, peel and dice your sweet potatoes. Go for a medium dice, since they’ll cook quicker and more evenly. Next, boil them ’til they’re done. They shouldn’t be mushy, nor should they be too raw. Drain, and set aside.
While the spuds are cooling, drain the crushed pineapple, reserving the juice, and set that aside. Run the sweet potatoes through the ricer in batches, ’til the lot of them have been mashed. Then stir in the pineapple and coconut. You likely won’t need to add any liquid; if you do, you can use either the reserved pineapple juice, or a bit of orange juice.
What you’ve got now is a pretty suitable side dish. You can add nuts if you’d like; pecans or walnuts work well. Cinnamon gives a nice flavor to the proceedings. Or, if you’d like something that’ll give a nice contrast, add a bit of chopped cilantro to taste.
CAN: Anthology
Okay, unabashed geek time. I like progressive rock. Not all of it–you will never hear me debating the merits of Ozric Tentacles versus Spock’s Beard versus Dream Theater, for instance–but I will admit a soft spot for stuff from about 1968-78, in all its bombastic glory. Yes? Yes. King Crimson? Of course. Genesis, with or without Peter Gabriel? Natch. And throw in–among others–some Eno, 801, Roxy Music, Seru Giran… well, you get the picture.
But there’s a problem with a lot of Prog: it sounds too much like Whitney Houston. (more…)
I’m suspicious of anything I see advertised on television. So I’d been skeptical for a while about the George Foreman Grill, in any of its guises; if television advertising is cause for suspicion, then a celebrity’s name attached to a product is the kiss of death.
On the other hand, when you live in an apartment with no balcony, no patio, and not quite enough room to swing a cat, it’s not like you can set up a gas grill in the living room. So we caved in and bought the G5, the latest incarnation of the George Foreman Grill. (more…)
Nothing beats fresh spices. The taste of a clove of crushed garlic, cilantro snipped right off the stem, or fresh-cut parsley (just try making tabouleh with parsley flakes) puts dried spices to shame. On the other hand, if you’re short on time, it can be a pain in the neck cutting, washing, snipping, et cetera.
Polaner–the same company that makes fruit preserves and whatnot–have done a nice job of bridging the gap between the produce section and those little jars of sad, dessicated horticulture. Most supermarkets will carry at least the garlic and basil (which, between them, put you well on your way to a good pesto), but oregano and jalapeño peppers are also out there. They’re relatively inexpensive, and while they’re not the same as going to your local farmer’s market they’re a good compromise, especially if you want fresh taste but you don’t have as much prep time as you’d like.
The second thing that crossed my mind upon hearing the verdict that was handed down in the Sean Bell case–the first had been simple disbelief–was a song lyric from the Clash:
You have the right not to be killed
Murder is a crime
Unless it was done by a policeman
Different lessons seem to have been drawn on both sides of the case. Black men have been reminded that it’s dangerous to leave their homes with their keys, wallets, or even candy bars (each of the preceding has resulted in the shooting death of a black man at the hands of the police)–to say nothing of their skin. The NYPD, on the other hand, has been reminded that for all intents and purposes, they have carte blance to use whatever degree of force they see fit, whether or not it’s proportionate to the threat–real or perceived–posed by their targets. (more…)
Blogs on religion proliferate like weeds on the web. Unfortunately, they all too often settle into trite cliches, facile dogmatism, and sloppy theology. A refreshing exception comes to us courtesy of Amicus Dei, a blog written by Pastor Chuck Warnock. Once you’ve read his writing, both there and on his other blogs, such as Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor, you come to realize that any preconceptions you might’ve had about Baptist pastors pretty much go out the window. At least mine did. (more…)
Good post by Archangel over at www.crackteam.org (which you can read here) on the Billboard Hot 100. I think that I can safely say, without blowing Agent Archangel’s cover, that he and I are the same age, grew up listening to a lot of the same music, and have musical tastes that overlap in a lot of areas.
Anyway, after reading the post, I mosied (moseyed? Whilom haven mosey?) over to the Hot 100 myself, had a gander, and a cow while I was at it. Am I getting old, or is Archangel right in asking if it’s all shit? (more…)
A recent article on MSN.com tells of the rise of self-service checkouts and kiosks. If you listen to the marketing people–and somebody’s got to be listening to them, given that everything from gas stations to doctors’ offices now offers self-service–this improves service, speeds transactions, builds brand loyalty, and saves money.
Oh, really? In no particular order, let’s take this point-by-point. (more…)
