Winter Stew

Hot, thick hearty, and sooooo yummy on a cold day!  The term "winter" does not refer to the season, but to the kinds of vegetables you put into it -- in this case:  cabbage, onions, garlic, peri-peri peppers (aka small red chilis -- whole, so you can see and remove them before they get stuck between your teeth!), celery, carrots, rutabaga, potatoes, winter squash, and broccoli.

Put a dry heavy-bottomed cauldron on stove, heating up to medium.  While it's getting hot, halve lengthwise and then slice thinly crosswise two cored quarters of a cabbage.  When the pot is up to temperature,  cover the bottom with olive oil, and then immediately dump in all the shredded cabbage.  Stir to coat with oil, and then continue chopping veggies and adding them in whatever order you like, stirring each time you add to the pot.  I use squash because it melts into nothingness and thickens the broth without adding flour or other thickening agent -- something I found out completely by serendipitous accident!.  And it has very little inherent flavor of its own.  And it's extremely high in water soluble fiber.  And because I just plain like winter squash.

There are no measurements to this dish.  You use as much as you like of what you have.  Don't have something on the list?  Use something else.  Or forget about it entirely.  If you don't like rutabaga, don't put it in just because it's on my list -- make up your own list.  You can, ferinstance, use an entire cabbage instead of just half.  Or substitute kale.  Or spinach.  Or sui choy.  Or all.  Or whatever.

When you've got all the veggies chopped and added and stirred in and covered with oil and the accumulating liquor in the pot (the pot should be pretty close to full if you're doing this in a serious way), start adding cold water until the veggies are almost covered.  Put a lid on it, but leave it ajar, and let it come to a boil.  Stir occassionally until you deem it done, and enjoy with crusty bread, salad, whatever.

Yes, you can add meat to it.  Whatever meat you like.

Tonight, I'm serving this with slices of ham and a garden salad on the side and ciabata to soak up the broth. 

And tomorrow, when the level in the pot has gone down a bit, I will add some drained and rinsed red kidney beans and some frozen kernel corn, both for color and for complete protein, and meat will not be necessary.  Which is good, because what's left on the bone will be in another pot being turned into a broth for split pea or lentil soup!

Christian Militia Accused of Plotting to Kill Cops

DETROIT – Nine alleged members of a Christian militia group that was girding for battle with the Antichrist were charged Monday with plotting to kill a police officer and slaughter scores more by bombing the funeral — all in hopes of touching off an uprising against the U.S. government.

Christian militia?  As in, "Thou shalt not kill" Christian?

Prosecutors said David Stone had identified certain law enforcement officers near his home as potential targets. He and other members discussed setting off bombs at a police funeral, using a fake 911 call to lure an officer to his death, killing an officer after a traffic stop, or attacking the family of an officer, according to the indictment.

Read the rest of the story here...

Now.  Anyone taking odds on how long it takes for the brain-dead clusterfucks at Homeland Security to figure out how to blame this on Canada?

Up The 'Roo; Down With IOC!

I've had it up to well past my courtesy level. The IOC needs to be taken down several pegs and drop-kicked into Vancouver Harbor. And I'd like to volunteer to chain their ankles to a cannon before it's done. We can make a new olympic sport of it. And from the growing growl of others who are fed up with being pushed around by these assholes, I know I'm not the only one thinking that.

The International Olympic Committee wants the giant boxing kangaroo flag at the Olympic Athletes Village in Vancouver to come down because it's not an "official Olympic flag." Well, boo hoo.

They're getting, in return, a hefty dose of finger-"pointing" in their direction. Bouquets and singles, all in a row. Even the mayor is on board.

Whose town is this, anyway?

So, here's my support for the Land Down Under: As soon as I can lay my hands on a boxing kangaroo flag, I'm gonna join the parade of fed-up-to-the-teeth CITIZENS of this town against the IOC and its evil intrusions into our lives, and I'm gonna cheer on the Aussies.

And for those who wanted to get me on board for the olympics? There's a saying: Be careful what you ask for; you might get it.

You got it.

UPDATE: Kangaroo can stay, says IOC

Good choice!

Demystifying Paganism Video by Chris Rogers - MySpace Video

I "found" this (it wasn't really lost) posted to a covenmate's Facebook page. A sermon on Paganism by a Catholic priest who actually knows what he's talking about, and who speaks plainly and clearly on the subject without getting all emotional about it.

Set aside about twenty-five minutes -- with your lunch, maybe -- and watch and listen. Learn from a Christian if you won't learn from a Pagan.

Demystifying Paganism Video by Chris Rogers - MySpace Video

PAT ROBERTSON VOODOO DOLL!

Proceeds Go To Haiti relief.

Oh, my! :lol:

I have no idea how long this will remain posted on EBay, so better go grab a look while it's still there.

As I post this, the bidding is up over $1,000.00. American funds, I assume.

H/T to WarriorWitch and MoriTherapy on Twitter!

UPDATE: It has been removed, after reaching $1,200.00. Googlecache shot here. Apparently, somebody thought it was "insulting" to insult the king of the religious and cultural insult.

Explosive Chewing Gum?

A new terrorist weapon?

Nope. Just a new method of winning a Darwin Award.

What next?

Sweet Curry Something

It's a dip. It's a spread. It's a relish. It's a dressing. It's...whatever you need it to be. Best of all, it's easy.

I don't usually measure by regular teaspoon/cup kind of volumes. I eyeball it, and if it looks good, I use it. But that doesn't translate well for most people, so I'll use various types of balls for measurements and see how well that works. And keep in mind that my method of cooking is open to interpretation and the personal touch.

First, you really need a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid. And wooden stirring impliments.

a golf ball of finely chopped red or yellow onion (not sweet)
oil/ghee to cover bottom of pot
two baseball sized tomatoes, finely chopped
two heaping coffee spoons of masala*
a golf ball of honey

Heat the dry pot to medium, then add oil when pot is hot. Add onion immediately, stir with wooden spoon, and keep stirring occasinally until onion starts to caramelize and turn brown.

Add tomatoes, cooking and stirring for about five minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down and go mushy.

Add the masala. Cook and stir another five minutes until the mixture feels thick and smells wonderful.

Add the honey. Mix well. Wait till it starts to bubble, then put the lid on, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, and let simmer about forty minutes without peeking. It's not going anywhere.

After forty minutes, do a taste test. If it's too spicy, add a little more honey to adjust the flavor. If it's too sweet, add a little more masala (but if you do this, you need to let it keep cooking at least another ten minutes; raw masala is not recommended for your digestive system).

It should be thick-ish, and dark red/brown in color. If you think it's too thin, you can let it cook a little longer with the lid off to reduce it; but it will also thicken a little more as it cools.

You can use it hot or cold on meat, vegetables, rice, pasta, bread -- just about everything except ice cream (and I won't make any bets about that, either).

*Masala is an Indian spice blend. You can get powder blends and paste blends; and they come in hot, medium, and mild. Which one you use is up to you. For my first batch, I used an MDH brand powdered chana masala blend (it's fairly hot). You can also use any of Patak's curry paste blends.

This "recipe" is only a guide. Adjust it to your own tastes.

Enjoy!