Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

The lights are all blinking red.

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Peak wingnut was a lie.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

He really is that stupid.

Fight them, without becoming them!

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Cooking / Open Thread: Thursday Night Menu Edition

Open Thread: Thursday Night Menu Edition

by | 144 Comments

This post is in: ,

Take it away, Bad Horse’s Filly:

Tonight’s menu is really in anticipation of fresh summer produce. We are not quite there yet, but you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the ingredients. While I lived in suburbia, there was a great farm stand a mile or so from my house. I passed it coming and going from work and errands. It was perfect for when I wanted something fresh for dinner that night. Farmers’ Markets are great, but nothing beats a farm stand you can shop at any day. I had in the back of my mind that since I moved, I needed to scout out a new one, but hadn’t given it a lot of thought or effort. And then came the lost wallet.
__
One of the guys I work with found a wallet, stuffed with cash, cards…you know basically someone’s entire financial life. A bit of investigation and he tracked her down. Come to find out she lives a few miles from me, so I was the logical person to return the wallet. I knew from the address it was going to be a beautiful location, and it was, farmland on the river with a breathtaking mountain view. Very nice family and even better, they operate a farm stand with organic produce. Kismet. You never know how you’ll find what you’re looking for.
__
And I must give a shout out to our wallet owner. Very kind, very appreciative, she handed me a wad of cash to give to my guy and then handed me a grocery card. I tried to refuse, because I really believed we were just doing the right thing. But she was a feisty 95lb woman in her 80’s that would brook no refusal and while I could have probably arm-wrestled her to the ground, it didn’t seem appropriate. I think I’m going to enjoy shopping their farm stand this summer.
__
On the board tonight:

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1. Creamy Chicken & Pasta
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2. Fresh Garden Medley
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3. Sliced Melon

Recipes and shopping list, as ever, at the link.

Reader Interactions

144Comments

  3. 3.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    I hate people who try to give me money for doing the right thing but I love BHF!

  4. 4.

    MikeJ

    @Mike Kay: When’s the primary? I have this fear that Reid won’t get to run against her.

    On edit: Google tells me June 8, or 1.5 weeks.

  5. 5.

    Yutsano

    I always did love bowtie pasta, mostly because I love the Italian name for it: farfalle. It’s always so much more fun when you see it on your plate or in your pasta bowl I think.

    @Bad Horse’s Filly: I’m still in recovery mode, but I might get adventurous either tomorrow or Saturday. If so I’ll keep y’all updated.

  7. 7.

    MikeJ

    @Bad Horse’s Filly: Two weeks ago, the first Copper River salmon of the week showed up in Seattle. $55/lb. Last week, I got some for $35/lb. Today I saw the inferior, but still mighty tastey, coho at QFC for only $20/lb. I’ll check my regular fishmonger tomorrow and get a quote on king, and then decide what I’ll throw on an alder wood plank this weekend.

  8. 8.

    BruceFromOhio

    Fookin glorious. I love this time of year – the deep breath before the heat of summer, or the dive into the pool.

    Good karma. Let’s eat.

  9. 9.

    BruceFromOhio

    @Bad Horse’s Filly:

    Lots of grilling I hope.

    A host of chicken thighs in some tandoori recipe, liberally doused with clarified butter, low temp on the grill for a long, smokey cook. What wasn’t immediately devoured sits in anticipation of a makani recipe with the leftovers, probably on Sunday. Like lasagna the next day, it sits in spices and evolves deliciously.

    Monday is hotdogs. That is all.

  10. 10.

    jank_w

    Super OT hairsplitting… I saw on an earlier thread a reference to the “diviest of dive bars”, and it seemed that the author (John, I think) was implying that’s a bad thing. Take it back! Full retraction, above the fold!

    +3

  11. 11.

    Mike Kay

    BREAKING: The House just repealed DADT!

    DADT is now in the dust bin of history, along with Jim Crow.

    As Jenny said:

    I can’t believe we’re about to see DADT end in the same year HCR passed. Damn, that Obama sure hasn’t done anything, has he? #STFU-haters

  12. 12.

    MikeJ

    @jank_w: The diviest of dive bars is not in WV. It is in London. In Soho. It is in the back room of a mini cab stand. On a late Sunday night when nothing else was open, my friends and I were invited in, where we were sold pints of vodka and marijawana, in spliffs as big as your arm.

  14. 14.

    Mike Kay

    Only 5 measly republicans voted for the repeal. 172 republicans voted to retain bigotry and oppression.

    See, this is why I want to punch someone in the mouth and knock all their teeth out when I hear “there’s no difference bwtn bush and obama” or “stay home and teach the Pelosi a lesson”

  15. 15.

    Sheila

    Summer produce means CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), a fine way to assure yourself a summer of organic produce from a local grower. I believe most areas of the country have them, and I encourage everyone who does not grow their own vegetables (and no one I know has the resources to grow the amount of vegetables our subscription farm does) to look into this.

  16. 16.

    Texas Dem

    Don’t uncork the champagne just yet. This fight isn’t over. To paraphrase Sir Winston, it’s not the end; it’s not even the beginning of the end. But it could be the end of the beginning. Along those lines, what are the odds the Senate GOP will successfully filibuster the defense bill? Isn’t that their only remaining option to stop DADT repeal?

  17. 17.

    Corner Stone

    @Bad Horse’s Filly: Have a wedding to go to Saturday evening but otherwise – I will be grilling my balls off this long weekend.
    Porterhouse tomorrow (probably). Sunday maybe ham steaks on the grill with a homemade baste. Monday will probably be chicken thighs and drums with a wicked hot marinade. But we’ll see how it all pans out. I’m pretty flexible.
    Thanks for asking.

  18. 18.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @Mike Kay: Yes, I’m sure I haven’t said this today, but I hate these people. And, I for one, cannot wait for tomorrow to see how Obama has failed me, once again.

    I cannot imagine trying to govern with all the noise.

  20. 20.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    I posted this in an earlier thread, but I’m reposting it here. Officially, it’s because the open thread is the proper place for it. Unofficially, I just want some sympathy, dammit.

    I’m at wits end. No progress on getting a job. With the end of school, my social life has completely disappeared. And Eddie is back in the hospital because he hasn’t been eating since he had oral surgery last week.

    I’m just really down this evening.

  21. 21.

    Mike Kay

    @Texas Dem: filbuster the bill and the military shuts down (no really, no bucks, no bullets) and the troops come home. Go ahead, make my day: if you filibuster the bill, the terrorist win.

  22. 22.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @Sheila: And if you eat poultry, pork or beef, there are now organic farms doing CSA type shares of these as well – if I can find the link I’ll post it. They sell in smaller portions than buying a pig or 1/2 side of beef.

  24. 24.

    Elisabeth

    @Mike Kay:

    heh. Don’t go outing any military folks yet. This ain’t over. It still awaits the final vote in October and the DoD’s review. There are great forces still aligned against it’s repeal but yes we’ve made progress … in a small but significant step.

  25. 25.

    Texas Dem

    filbuster the bill and the military shuts down (no really, no bucks, no bullets) and the troops come home. Go ahead, make my day.

    They’ll blame that on the Dems for “politicizing” the defense bill, and their talk radio/Fox news echo chamber will back them up. Like I said before, this isn’t over. Not by long shot.

  26. 26.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Mike Kay: Me, too, but it’s not necessarily a good idea when you’re depressed and lonely.

  27. 27.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN): You know you’ve always got my good thoughts coming to you. I’m sorry about Eddie, too.

    I told someone a while ago that when I was going through one of the lowest times of my life (which included losing several animals to illness), I felt like an empty olympic size pool, and even when good things happened, it felt like trying to fill the emptiness with a teaspoon. Finally (felt like an eternity) things turned around and in short order the pool was filled with good things again. But, to be honest, I still remember that empty feeling and it sucked and I’m very, very thankful for every good thing now.

    I know things will turn around for you, but until then, we’re here.

  31. 31.

    Corner Stone

    Oh man. That homemade three cheese sauce mac & cheese is pretty dang tasty.
    Just sayin’.

  32. 32.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Corner Stone:

    I will be grilling my balls off. . . . I’m pretty flexible.

    Not for much longer, you aren’t.

  34. 34.

    debit

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN): I’m sorry. Even though the job market is supposed to be improving, it’s slow going. Hang in there.

    @thread: the recipes look yummy, especially the veggies. This spring I have been craving them like mad, so tomorrow I’m making another huge batch of gazpacho. Other than that, we’ll be having burgers and brats on the grill this weekend, maybe a tenderloin on Monday if they go on sale again.

  35. 35.

    EL

    For anyone who needs some laughter, mosy on over to the repubs ridiculous site and read some more of the entries. Comedy gold is still coming in, including a few of my favorites:

    ok, i am all in favor of banning rights for gays, because i believe what my pastor tells me, that it leads to beastiality. however, i think we need to make it clear, that some times, particularly in winter, it feels good to micturate in a horse, rather than expose one’s privates to the elements for the duration of the micturation. i think we should ban gay rights, but make it clear that micturating in horses is still ok, either because its cold out, or because its fun and the horse seems to like it . i micturated in a horse once, it saved me from frostbite, i don’t think we should take that right away from hard working americans.

    We should stop invading countries so far away for oil. It’s like politicians don’t own maps. Canada has oil. Venezuela has oil. South America has oil. Much closer.

    I have virtually no understanding of the history of any country in the world besides America’s, of which have a child’s knowledge. I’m constitutionally unable to model the psychology of other people in my mind. I don’t know a Shi’ite from a Sunn’i or a Persian from an Arab. I can’t even find Lebanon on a map nor tell you how it’s different from Jordan or Syria. I use the term socialist interchangeably with Marxist, communist, and Tsarist, but let me now share with you my thoughts on national security…

    and finally the wonderful

    ALL YOUR GOP ARE BELONG TO US

  36. 36.

    Anne Laurie

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN): You have my condolences, for what they’re worth. We just spent some $3K establishing that the cat we were supposed to be “looking after for just a few months” six years ago has chronic renal failure (plus a massive mouth infection & some grit in her bladder). And she’s only around eight years old, dammit. So now it’s nightly hydration sessions and the prescription canned food… she’s doing better enough to start fighting the needle, but the Special Treatment is making the other cats and the dogs completely crazy.

  42. 42.

    Mnemosyne

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN):

    This is going to sound really Ann Landers, but are there any local groups that you can volunteer your accounting skills for? I’m sure any nonprofit would be thrilled to get some free accounting, you could have something on your resume to paper over any employment gap, and it would get you out of the house and interacting with people.

    Just an idea.

  43. 43.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m sure any nonprofit would be thrilled to get some free accounting

    If there are, they’ve been really quiet about it when I’ve asked.

  44. 44.

    MikeJ

    @Mike Kay: :

    filbuster the bill and the military shuts down (no really, no bucks, no bullets) and the troops come home.

    As a reminder, on most bills they could simply pass their own version and fight it out in conference. However, all spending bills *must* originate in the House. Meaning the Senate can pass it or not, but they can’t start a new bill.

  45. 45.

    Toni

    From Washington Post
    James Carville… “seemed, in fact, to delight in hearing he had gotten under the president’s skin, noting that Obama had been defensive about criticism of his response during an East Room news conference.

    “If he had one bullet and James Carville and [BP chief executive] Tony Hayward were sitting there, who would he shoot? I wouldn’t take my chances,” Carville said.”

    I have no problems with Carville criticizing the response but this suggestion that Obama would want to shoot him seems too much.

  47. 47.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    @Bad Horse’s Filly: I’m planning to make — Julie Sahni’s tandoori Chicken recipe which is easy to do in a home oven (buy the cookbook at :), rice with peaches and pistachios, banana raita with almonds and raisins. Also grilled buffalo burgers with tarragon butter inside topped with blue cheese, roast potatoes and farmer’s market asparagus. Oh, and farmer’s market strawberries dipped in chocolate.

    Bother, messed up the link. Just get Ms. Sahni’s cookbook!

  48. 48.

    Tattoosydney

    Hi BHF – hope you are well.

    No holiday weekend here, but last weekend I whipped up a batch of Piri Piri oil to use on chicken, which would be perfect for a barbecue.

    Although the chillies are originally from Mozambique, in Portuguese cooking this oil is used for a huge range of dishes. It has a wonderful flavour and a subtle (not too subtle) heat, that somehow mellows and intensifies with storage.

    My recipe is an amalgam of recipes from a lovely Portuguese cookbook called “Piri piri starfish” by Tessa Kiros, another book by David Leite called “The New Portuguese Table” (which is ok), and a bit of experimenting.

    These measurements are all infinitely variable. It’s really easy and takes about half an hour to make a big jar full. For a basic piri piri oil, you will need:

    Half a litre of good olive oil
    12 fresh chillis – piri piri for choice but any good hot ones will do
    12 dried chillis
    2 to 3 tsp of salt
    3 or 4 or even more cloves of garlic
    2 tsp of sugar or honey
    the zest and juice of half a lemon
    1/2 a cup of whisky
    1/4 of a cup of vinegar (any sort really, but I use red wine vinegar)
    some bay leaves

    This last batch, I also added some fresh rosemary, some fresh ginger and some coriander root.

    Chop your dry ingredients roughly, and put about 3/4 of them (chillies, salt, garlic, sugar or honey, lemon zest, and any other bits, but NOT the bay leaf) in a food processor and process till they are a bit chunky and a bit mulchy.

    Put a huge glug of olive oil in a fry pan on a medium heat, add the reserved dry ingredients, plus about half of what is in the food processor, plus the bay leaves, and fry on a gentle heat for a little while. Then add the whisky, the lemon juice and the vinegar, and continue frying/simmering it gently, as long as you want – five minutes or twenty minutes, depending on your taste. I like to do it for a while, so the chilli caramelises a bit and the liquids are reduced. When it is almost done, add in whatever is left in the food processor to add a fresh edge.

    Don’t breathe in it too deeply over the pan while you are making it because it will strip the hairs off the inside of your nose.

    Put the lot in a big jar, and fill the jar up with more olive oil. Use straight away or keep it so the flavour develops. I keep mine in the fridge.

    To use on chicken, put chicken of any kind (thighs are good, as are breasts) in a bowl with the juice of a lemon, the lemon halves, some dried oregano, a lot of chopped garlic, some paprika and some salt. Marinate for at least half an hour, then cook on a hot grill. When you turn it, baste the cooked side with the piri piri oil with lots of the bits mixed in, and make sure it gets turned three times, so you get black crunchy bits. Don’t overcook it though.

    Yum.

  51. 51.

    Yutsano

    @Bad Horse’s Filly: Seriously? Folks need to lighten up and stuff. Ratatouille isn’t always stewed, it can in fact be simmered on the stove or even quick sauteed, it all depends on your time and your preference.

    @Tattoosydney: I love making flavoured oils, the end result is always worth the work. It actually isn’t a ton of stuff to do, you just sit back and let the oil absorb whatever flavoring you desire. My personal fave is rosemary/garlic oil. The best part of this recipe is you’re demonstrating the method for making just about any flavoured oil. And yes I’m deferring to proper British spelling just for you. :)

  53. 53.

    Corner Stone

    @Steeplejack: Yeah…ummm.
    I’ll be doing a great deal of grilling this weekend.
    And it will be tasty as I can mofo cook.
    If there’s one thing I can do, it’s -finger roll- cook.

  54. 54.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @Tattoosydney:

    Don’t breathe in it too deeply over the pan while you are making it because it will strip the hairs off the inside of your nose.

    Well that would save on nose clippers.

    Barring that, the rest of it sounds wonderful.

  60. 60.

    Yutsano

    @Bad Horse’s Filly: Oh because it’s just SO HARD to swap out the chicken for squirrel. I’m as much of a food snob as anyone, however I will not touch the rats with bushy tails with a ten foot pole, plus if they’ve ever ordered it in any restaurant it didn’t have squirrel in it either (as far as I know you can’t get commercially available squirrel meat that passes USDA inspection). So there. They can just get over it.

  64. 64.

    Tattoosydney

    @Yutsano:

    Hello. I hope you’re feeling chipper.

    Yes, I am under the weather. I have a cough that I can’t shake off, but have pills to kill the bug that is causing it. I’m working from home, which today, thankfully, has not involved too much work. Lots of sleep is the answer.

  65. 65.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: If you can have Bradley bring you home a bowl of chicken pho or just good chicken soup, I do highly recommend it. I basically told work to go to hell for the entire week and I’ll deal with the consequences if any) on Monday. I’m finding myself caring less and less, I just got fucking cut open. You don’t exactly bounce back from that in a day. So maybe not chipper inasmuch as feisty, which may even be better.

  67. 67.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Mnemosyne:

    Well, they all suck, then. :-)

    Mostly, it’s tough to get such a position unless you’re a CPA, and particularly a member of MSCPA.

    Now, I’ve passed all four of the CPA exams, but to actually be a CPA, you also have to have worked for a CPA for a year so that they can vouch for you. So, I see lots and lots of jobs that require a CPA, but, until someone will hire me, I can’t become a CPA.

  69. 69.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Steeplejack: Eddie is spending the night at the University of Minnesota Small Animal Hospital. He’s got a number of things going on, and they want to see if they can figure out what it is. The really good news is that there’s no evidence of his cancer returning. The bad news is that he just had significant oral surgery (one root canal, one full extraction, and five crown removals), he’s licked all of the fur off of his tummy and down the inside of one thigh (we don’t know why yet; I managed to get an antihistamine into him for a couple of days and that seemed to help before it became impossible to pill him), and his liver enzyme results are too high (again, we don’t know why).

    To some extent, it’s the sheer volume of things going wrong with him that have me pessimistic.

  71. 71.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Yutsano: The evidence I’ve had is that the answer is to get your accounting degree when you’re 24 rather than 42, and to make sure you do your undergraduate work as a student in the business school, so that you get internship offers. My undergraduate degree is in statistics and I took all of my accounting courses (prior to the masters program) through the College of Continuing Education. That meant that I was taking the exact same classes as the b-school students, and paying the same tuition as the b-school students, but I didn’t have access to all (read: any) of the services they used, such as the placement office.

    I’m not opposed to relocation. The two big obstacles are:

    1) I have four cats. If I had two, it would be a lot easier to find an apartment;
    2) Minnesota is just about the only state in the nation where I can get health insurance at the moment, so I don’t want to give up residence here.

    Though, as sadly said above, I’m worried that problem one is going to start resolving itself.

  74. 74.

    mclaren

    How about some recipes more suited for the current economy?

    For example, a recipe for tomato soup made from the free ketchup packets and the hot tap water in a Burger King bathroom…

  77. 77.

    Anne Laurie

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN): Off the wall suggestion: Are there any community gardens in your area? It’s probably too late to reserve your own plot, but you can still go and check out what your neighbors are doing. And if those neighbors are anything like most gardeners, they (a) will be glad to talk your ears off about what they’re growing, why, how, and with what goals; and (b) can always use an extra pair of hands for moving dirt, tying up plants, or weeding.

    There may also be some kind of public park volunteer program looking for people to weed, mulch & pick up trash. It won’t help with your resume, but at least it’s an incentive to get out and move around…

  78. 78.

    Corner Stone

    @mclaren: Well, not quite that extreme but I recently made 5 meals out of this:
    1 pound ground chuck – $1.99
    1 pkg small elbow macaroni – $.87
    1 can 16oz diced tomatoes – $1.15
    1 can 12oz tomato sauce – $.60
    1 medium white onion – $.40

    So for about $5 I had 5 tasty meals. Of course that’s not including the powder spices, salt, pepper cost. And a couple times I had crackers and cheddar cheese with it.
    But still. If you needed to add a can of corn or hominy to this for another $.60 you could easily get 5 meals for under $7.

  79. 79.

    Fitzwili

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)
    How about something simple on Craigslist as a stopgap.
    You could put an ad up to tutor Quickbooks for instance or vanilla bookkeeping etc
    Its way less that what you are trained for as an accountant but people need to be tutored in the simple stuff

  80. 80.

    Fitzwili

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)
    Also bookkeeping firms are a possibility – you could start temping there. Most bookkeeping firms have very tight relationships with CPA offices and that might be your foot in the door. It seems so unfair to have to take a job that you are so overqualified( meaning your CPA masters) for but think of it as a means to an end!

  81. 81.

    Tattoosydney

    @Yutsano:

    feisty

    Feisty is good.

    I just want to sleep for two days without wondering whether there is a work email I have to deal with. Thank god for the weekend, which starts in about two hours.

  82. 82.

    asiangrrlMN

    @scav: OK, I am not clicking, but your link sentence made me laugh.

    @Tattoosydney:
    @Yutsano:

    Squeeee! Both of my fake hubbies on one thread at the same time? I swoon from giddiness. And from the fact that for once, I am not the sickest person in the room! Both of y’all need to get better (and yes, Yutsy, I know you’re not sick, but still).

    jeffreyw., I seriously lust after that pie.

    As for cooking….I don’t cook. I prefer to have others cook for me.

  83. 83.

    robertdsc

    I just want to sleep for two days without wondering whether there is a work email I have to deal with. Thank god for the weekend, which starts in about two hours.

    After I left one job some years ago, I remember waking up at 1 AM the day after my final day worried to death that my favorite CSR was not going to have her jobs done after I was gone. LOL. I was really wired into that place and sometimes I miss it even though it’s been many years since I’ve worked there.

  85. 85.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: I am slowly improving, but when I hurt so bad that I can’t get out of bed then yeah work is going on the back burner. At least I have the next two days off to myself and maybe I’ll be okay enough to venture out some. I am getting better though I promise!

    @Tattoosydney: You’re either teasing or in huge trouble. If you’ve been in Minnesota without telling wifey she may just haz to spank you. Then again she was in Taiwan for a month and didn’t bother to fly south, so I guess you’re both even there.

  87. 87.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: Yes. I think it’s a good thing that you prioritized your health over your job. I’m glad you are taking it easy and being good to yourself.

    @Tattoosydney: Mmmmmm, I would like that. I like spicy, flavorful food. And, just as a point of reference, have you even been to MN?

  88. 88.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN:

    And, just as a point of reference, have you even been to MN?

    DON’T ANSWER! IT’S A TRAP!!

    (wait, I wasn’t supposed to talk here was I? Maybe I should just go back to…oh look! an elephant!)

  89. 89.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @Yutsano:

    (wait, I wasn’t supposed to talk here was I? Maybe I should just go back to…oh look! an elephant!)

    So, you’re hiding from your wife’s wrath somewhere in Africa? Or India?

  91. 91.

    Tattoosydney

    @asiangrrlMN:

    No. I went to America when I was 4, and spent time in Virginia and Florida (visiting friends my parents had met in Hawaii – most notably a couple from Florida who had each been married eight times, three of those to each other, and a lovely older couple from Virginia who took us to see Monticello), and Washington DC (where we lucked into a private tour with a tour guide who apparently breezed past rope barriers and knew every secret service agent by name, and had us wandering round the kitchens and the private offices), and both Disneyland and Disneyworld (my poor parents). I even fed squirrels and chipmunks in a Chinese garden in San Francisco.

    But we never went to Minnesota.

  94. 94.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: That actually sounds like a fun trip even for an American. I’m also one of the lucky few to have gone to both Disney theme parks, and haven’t paid to get in once. It’s called neat work if you can get it, but if you do it right it really is a fun time.

  95. 95.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Tattoosydney: That would be even more awesome. If I go to Australia, I’ll drag Yutsy with me.

    @Yutsano: I’ve been to both as well! And, I didn’t pay either time, either. Unfortunately, I do not like amusement parks except for the rides.

    P.S. FYWPwaRPF

  96. 96.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: She’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming. Oh yes. She’ll practically have to throw me on the plane. Just watch me pitch a fit when I go down that Qantas jetway. I’ll complain the whole flight too, especially if we get stuck in that damn first class and I’m forced to imbibe Australian wines the whole flight.

    /sarcasm

  101. 101.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: Okay fine. I’ll settle for business class but that’s my final offer! Oh and you bet your bippie I’ll meet you for that flight from LAX!

    @Tattoosydney: I sense a schtick here. She is damn funny however.

  104. 104.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: I think it’s because she gets right to the truth of the matter there: flight attendants are amazingly good at doing as little as possible while looking horrendously busy at the same time. We’ve all seen it, hell I usually never get a drink until the flight is at least half over regardless of the length of the flight. And the gay male ones are a thousand times worse, mostly because they throw the “HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME!!” look in there as well. She’s pretty damn awesome I must say.

    BTW showed a friend of mine Sushi cat tonight. I think I lost him to it because he hasn’t communicated with me in over an hour.

  106. 106.

    Yutsano

    @Joseph Nobles: Link not working, but yeah I think we discussed, laughed, and mocked as necessary. At least TBogg isn’t going all Sully about this. He did put up puppeh pics tonight as well.

  108. 108.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: “Touch the trolley…”

    You realize we’ll be saying that back and forth to each other and giggling like mad and no one will understand what the hell it means. All you gotta love inside jokes.

  112. 112.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: I didn’t get a good look but I’d bet money she has boots on that would make Nancy turn green with envy. Seems to fit her style rather nicely.

  115. 115.

    Yutsano

    @Anne Laurie: I know, I know, I know he’s a happily married heterosexual man, but I would sooo do TBogg. I would. Seriously. Although I’ve seen his wife and the man does have good taste.

    @Tattoosydney: Now what could she possibly be insinuating in that routine? Besides the fact that some gay men are all about atrocities in music.

  121. 121.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: You did that on purpose. Now wifey shall have many delicious dreams of Kylie while she attempts her early morning nap. Not that that’s a bad thing, Kylie is an incredible woman.

  123. 123.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Tattoosydney: How is it that I’ve never heard or seen that before? OH MYYYYYY! I less than three you! On to the phallic spaceship. I think one of us posted the second version of Dancing Queen you just posted before, too. That’s a very tasty video all around.

    And, I did not like the pink frou-frou spaceship one.

    @Yutsano: She’s got IT, and she knows it. That’s powerfully sexy.

  124. 124.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: You can tell by the way she’s singing that this is closer to the end of the night and she’s trying to not not push her voice too hard. But considering she’s even alive to be on that stage at all I think it’s remarkable she keeps going like she is.

  125. 125.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: Yup. And, I like the lower registers better, anyway. I like husky voices. And, the acoustic guitar player is easy on the eyes as well. Yes, the boys in the feathers dancing energetically are nice, but I have more of a chance with the guitar player.

  126. 126.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: I admire her a lot. Hell I liked her when she first hit the US and I was a stupid kid then. Knowing what all she’s lived through the fact that she’s made a fantastic career just must make life all the sweeter for her. She did get treated in Australia yes?

    EDIT: According to teh Wiki yes. Damn Australia and its sociaIist health care!!

  127. 127.

    Tattoosydney

    I’m sharing one of my favourite Mardi Gras (Sydney, that is) moments… Olivia Newton John performing Xanadu – I was about ten people back for this, and screamed my lungs out. They had been trying to get her to perform for years (decades?), but she had always said no. The best bit of all was the end, where she stood almost dumbstruck at about 15000 queens giving her possibly the biggest ovation of her life, and the expression on her face was “Why the fuck haven’t I done this before?”.

    Video quality is crap, but you get the idea.

  128. 128.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Tattoosydney: She looks fab! I can’t believe she didn’t want to feel the love before that. That had to have been awesome for you.

    @Yutsano: No kidding. Plus, she was the Green Fairy in Moulin Rouge. Yum. But, yes. She has fortitude and sockulist health care.

    @Tattoosydney: As it should be. As your (fake) wife, do I have access to the Aussie health care system?

  129. 129.

    Tattoosydney

    @Yutsano:

    She did get treated in Australia yes?

    The first response of any Australian expat with a serious medical condition is “Get me the fuck back to Australia”, yes.

  130. 130.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: Just out of curiosity, a marriage performed in Canada is automatically recognized in Australia yes? I would think there was some sort of Commonwealth recognition law. And yes I’m going somewhere with this.

  132. 132.

    Tattoosydney

    It might be…

    Marriages entered into overseas are generally recognised as valid in Australia
    __
    * if the marriage was recognised as valid under the law of the country in which it was entered into, at the time when it was entered into, and
    __
    * providing the marriage would have been recognised as being legal under Australian law if the marriage had taken place in Australia.
    __
    …
    __
    The basic rule of recognising foreign marriages is subject to a number of exceptions including:…
    __
    * where parties to the marriage are both of the same sex;

    For 99% of legal purposes it would not matter, I suspect, provided the people also met the legal definition of “de facto” …

    /expecting block quote fail

  135. 135.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: The ex is (or was last I heard from him) employed by Air Canada, which does fly from Vancouver from Sydney. But there is a type of marriage recognized in Canada that does apply to me yes.

  136. 136.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: Actually you’re missing the really huge legal loophole:

    There is no requirement to register a marriage in Australia which takes place overseas. The foreign marriage certificate is prima facie evidence in Australia of the occurrence and validity of the marriage.

    In other words, you get married in Canada, go back to Australia, show the marriage certificate, according to this you’re married and you could fight it in court.

    @Tattoosydney: Australian law is really confusing me. Things are illegal unless they’re not. Sigh. Y’all need a Talmudic scholar to go through your legal code I swear.

  137. 137.

    Tattoosydney

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Yes, we do… if two men or two women have lived together for two years as a committed couple, then they have all of the rights of a married couple, except a certificate with “marriage” on it…

    so any couple who met that definition who lived overseas would have the same legal rights as any married couple married overseas…

  138. 138.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: I know it is in Canada. But, apparently, not transferable to Australia, especially as neither of you are Aussie citizens. I don’t know if that matters or not.

    @Tattoosydney: That’s what I thought. I remember you explaining it to me before.

  140. 140.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: Not that I’m necessarily trying to plant ideas in your head, but honestly with that much legal ambiguity it would be very difficult to say a legal binding marriage in Canada isn’t recognized just because the two parties are of the same gender. Especially if the Canadian government has formalized the union on paper. I’m actually quite amazed no one has thought to try this. Or it’s possible they have and it went nowhere I don’t know, I don’t really have access to Australian legal journals.

  141. 141.

    Yutsano

    And on that note my pillow calls me. Night wifey-poo, FH #1 feel better okay?

  144. 144.

    debit

    @Bad Horse’s Filly:

    I’ve made it so often that I don’t really have an actual recipe, but I can tell you how I go about making it:

    Coarsely chop then place in large bowl:

    Several large tomatoes (or even more Romas)
    2 large peeled and seeded cucumbers
    One each sweet red and yellow pepper (or green, or whatever)
    Approx one onion (I use a mix of Vidalia, red and green)

    Add:

    A few cloves of garlic that have been through a press (I use a whole bud, but I love garlic)
    The juice of 1 to 2 lemons
    About a cup of olive oil
    Your herb/s of choice. If making just for myself, I use cilantro, but since my daughter is a hater, I usually chiffonade some fresh basil.
    Sea salt and ground white pepper to taste.

    Barely cover with tomato juice and let sit in fridge for at least a couple of hours before serving. Cover bowl tightly, obviously.

    Optional variations: some people run it through a food processor, but I prefer the texture and the crunch of leaving it chunky. Others use vinegar, but lemon juice gives it a bright taste vinegar can’t duplicate. A friend of mine will blanch the tomatoes and remove the skin before chopping; she finds it makes the gazpacho juicer and reduces the need to add additional juice but that seems like too much work for me. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll make some homemade croutons (sauté garlic in olive oil, remove garlic, raise heat, toss in bread cubes and “toast” until crisp). Finally, Roma tomatoes seem to hold up better and have a richer, meatier taste. If they’re available, I prefer to use them.

    Warnings: Using the Holy Trinity of garlic, lemon and basil will make you want to nom your own fingers. Do not attempt!

    True story: I first made this in 8th grade Home Ec for “International Week” and invited my Spanish teacher Mr. Lillo to be my guest. He told us that in Spain it was considered rude to have one hand on your lap under the table. I’ve never been to Spain (but I kinda like the music) and yet I still make sure to keep both hands visible while dining. After all, I can’t disappoint Mr. Lillo.

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