Just a little something to warm cockles (or some other body part) as we brace for impact:
Top of the day, the week, and the year to y’all.
Oh — and I can’t let a domesticated species moment pass by without recalling one of Tom Lehrer’s great throwaway lines. Speaking of Dr. Gall (inventor of the gall bladder, recently voted one of the Top Ten Organs…), Lehrer allowed as the good doctor had set out to be a vet, “majoring in animal husbandry, until they caught him at it.”
Think on that the next time you stuff a goose.
Perhaps I should stop now. Open thread, y’all
srv
What’s good for the goose is good for the banjar
Roger Moore
Sorry, but here in California, foie gras is illegal.
DZ
Foie gras may be illegal but roast goose is not
kindness
Anyone here follow Bela when he was with New Grass Revival or Strength In Numbers?
Linda Featheringill
Ah, Tom me lad. Are ye sober?
[actually, the whole post is cute] :-)
Cervantes
Or, at least, lay off the egg nog.
Tom Levenson
@Cervantes: @Linda Featheringill: Thanks for the kind thought, but I’m holding off for the ceremonial bottle of Barolo to accompany the roast beast the friends we always Festivus/Xmas-eve with always prepare. Some stuff you want to anticipate….
MattF
And, for a bit of seasonal etymology, the origin of the Finnish word ‘poronkusema’:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=9267#more-9267
Certified Mutant Enemy
I stumbled upon a heartwarming story for the holidays…
jeffreyw
I’ve got a 20 lb.fresh ham all brined and rubbed with rosemary and garlic in olive oil. Not yet decided how long or at what temperature to cook it.
@200 degrees for 20 hours
or
@350ish for 6-7 hours
If the former I need to start it pretty soon and let it go overnight.
Whichever way, it will get a honey-mustard glaze finish at a high enough temp to crisp some skin.
Anyone with any experience out there?
Ash Can
Tom Lehrer is a national treasure. And Sesasme Street and Bela Fleck are no slouches either.
Taking a lunch break here. Having a bowl of cereal (because I didn’t eat breakfast) and washing it down with a half a beer (which is sitting here unfinished from last night). Not to worry about the beer — it’s a substantial, highly-hopped affair that holds up well to sitting open and still tastes good (and maybe better) at room temp. Then I’ll pour myself another cup of joe and get back to getting the house Christmas-ready.
Royston Vasey
Merry Christmas BJers!
Looks like it’s going to be a nice day, around 24C.
All the best and what not,
RV in NZ
divF
We’re off to my mother-in-law’s in Santa Rosa for the traditional Christmas Eve
mob scenegathering (Madame is the oldest of five siblings, all of whom live in the Bay Area). after a light snack, we will go over to the assisted living facility in Oakmont and perform Christmas carols for the residents. Talents range from accomplished singers (Madame and her mother) to those of us who can carry at tune only if it is in a basket (me). But the residents seem to like it, as the attendance keeps growing every year.Joey Maloney
Keep stuffing that goose…
Mustang Bobby
Pate de foie gras is chopped liver with a good press agent.
Oh, guess what: Sarah Palin never read the Duck Dynasty interview in GQ before she opened her tater trap. Quelle surprise. Her defense is that ZZTop wannabe was quoting “the Gospel” so he’s in the clear. Well, for one thing, he was quoting the Old Testament, which is not “the Gospel.” And second, it would be a flippin’ news flash if she had actually read the article.
tybee
@jeffreyw:
you doing that inside or outside?
never done a fresh ham in the oven but on the grill i’d do 250 for about 10 or 12 hours, checking the thermo for an internal temp of 190 or so depending on if you want it sliced or pulled.
FlipYrWhig
@Mustang Bobby: Silly Bobby, Bibles are for _banging_, not for reading!
Amir Khalid
@Mustang Bobby:
Come to that, it would be a news flash if Sarah Palin could read a GQ article.
WaterGirl
@jeffreyw: I cooked a ham on my new grill after I got it. Turned out great! I just did whatever the Internet told me to do. Though I did put a foil tray with some water under it to keep it moist.
Wish I could eat at your house, but I’m on the train to Chicago. Wrong direction!
Merry Christmas to all!
dmsilev
If this is any indication, looks like we’ve entered the ‘press tearing down their previous crush’ phase of Chris Christie coverage.
dmsilev
@WaterGirl:
As a general rule, I’d say that’s a fairly dangerous thing to do.
jeffreyw
@tybee: It’s too cold to go outside, this one goes into the oven. I’m looking for 145 to 150 internal.
MaryJane
@Royston Vasey:
And a jolly Xmas to you, and all Balloon Juicers.
Our Southern California temperature is the same as yours. I’m baking cookies with the windows wide open.
HinTN
@jeffreyw: 200 for 24 – I have one cooking now.
mdblanche
Finally.
HinTN
@jeffreyw: And, to be clear, mine is a country ham that I soaked three days and plan to pull, not slice.
Villago Delenda Est
OT, but more Noisemax goodness:
O’Reilly: ‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Robertson Wrong on Gays
O’Reilly makes the argument that all Robertson is doing is giving ammunition to those who portray “Christians” as bigoted assholes.
Which of course in the case of Robertson and those defending him is an accurate portrayal.
Still, props to O’Reilly for actually paying FUCKING ATTENTION to the words of Jesus, which many “Christians” do not.
feebog
My golf plans got dumped because my golf partner’s Father had a heart attack yesterday. At least they think it was a heart attack. So I’m trying to stay out of Mrs. Feebog’s way while she prepares tomorrow’s dinner. Wrapped her gifts and got them under the tree just now as she is on her (supposedly) last trip to the store for a few more essentials. Wishing the entire BJ community a very Merry Christmas where ever you are. If you are going out tonight or tomorrow drive like everyone else is three sheets to the wind, because, most likely they are.
Ultraviolet Thunder
@kindness:
My wife followed him all over the country, spending her vacations on the Bluegrass festival circuit. But it was just platonic despite her purchase and attempted operation of a banjo.
The Dangerman
If Bela and the Flecktones come to your neighborhood, it is a terrific show; Fleck is phenomenal and Victor Wooten is just the best bassist in the world. Seen them twice, both great shows.
Roger Moore
@FlipYrWhig:
I had heard that right wingers have some strange fetishes, but banging bibles is way out there.
PeorgieTirebiter
I’m in St. Paul meeting the wife’s family after putting it off for nine years. Solid, salt of the earth wingnuts across the board. They speak fondly of the good union jobs their parents had, curse the new pope and make plans to restore the family farm growing legalized pot. They don’t seem angry and they’re not mean spirited which makes them hard to dislike. Weirder than xmas in Texas. Good wishes to all ya’ll.
Royston Vasey
@MaryJane:
Board shorts and a Hawaiian shirt today!
Just prepared the veggies redy for the visit of the rellies later.
Christmas Day afternoon meal (neither lunch nor dinner):
Barbeque with roast vegetables.
8.30am and we’ve already got a sweat on.
Going to be a good day
Have a great day in sunny California!
RV in NZ
jeffreyw
@HinTN: I’m convinced – I just wrapped this bad boy with foil and stuck it into a 200ish oven. I have a temp probe inserted and will keep an eye on that. Most of the fresh ham recipes is see call for finish temps in the 150 degree range for carving, that’s what I intend. At least to get the Big Dinner out of the way. Most of the meat will get hacked off and saved for various sammiches and the like, bones boiled down for stock.
Royston Vasey
Time for breakfast bubbles with strawberries.
Nice way to kick start the days festivities
Enjoy!
RV in NZ
mdblanche
@dmsilev: Damn, it’s tough to stay on top of the GOP klown kar kavalcade to 2016. A year ago they were trying to sell Thirsty McGuirk (R-Florida) as their Latino savior and now he seems to have disappeared completely. Nikolai Lobachevsky (R-Kentucky) and Major Kong (R-Calgary) both had their rises and falls, and even Vladimir Putin, the real Vladimir Putin. So now Baron Harkonnen is on his entirely predictable downswing. I think it’s Eddie Munster’s turn again for a month or two now. It’s going to be a long couple of years.
schrodinger's cat
Catmas eve Kitteh
Gex
@Villago Delenda Est: It turns out this whole Duck Dynasty thing is more of a battle in the GOP civil war than it really was between left and right. The establishment would very much like this war on gays to be winding down but the 27%ers really want to keep on going with the gay bashing (however politely caveated so as convey the fact that “no offense intended.)
Even Santorum came out and said that Robertson went too far. He didn’t disagree with him. Just that what he said went too far. Which kind of makes me think he has a shot to be the candidate in 2016. Playing for the establishment but one of the bright stars to the extreme base.
Trollhattan
@Royston Vasey:
Daughter Unit has been riveted to the NORAD Santa website since flinging herself from bed this a.m., and would point out excitedly that you’ve already opened all your gifties. It’s not easy being a kid on the other side of the dateline, sometimes; she’s got a good twenty hours to go.
dmsilev
@mdblanche: We could see the GOP start working their way through their B list (this current set is their A list; scary, isn’t it?). I’m pretty sure Tim Pawlenty is available and of course there’s always Newt.
Davis X. Machina
@dmsilev: Do they even need an A list?
The GOP took one of the worst-campaigning candidates I can remember, threw him up against one of the best, twice, and kept it close. In any sane world McCain Romney lose by Landon-esque margins.
Such is the power of a brand name.
mdblanche
@dmsilev: They still have Santorum. Whether or not they want him, they still have him.
@Davis X. Machina: “Such is the power of a brand name.”
It’s more of a logo than a brand name.
Cacti
@Davis X. Machina:
Eh?
Neither of the past two elections was particularly close.
jeffreyw
New device cookie setting exercise
drkrick
@kindness: Oh my yes. I much prefer his NGR work, truth be told – those were the days.
Ultraviolet Thunder
We’re still working out holiday parties, meetings, sleeping arrangements, etc. while people are on the road traveling. This all depends on restoration of utility outages from the ice storm, sick people’s medical schedules and who visited who at Thanksgiving. Most of the negotiation is taking place through a family invitation Facebook message thread.
Most disorganized holiday ever, thanks to weather and illness.
I’m just rolling with it.
Redshift
It’s 40°F here in the DC area, which seems pretty nice. No snow, but we’ve already had some this year, and since we have relatives doing the tourist thing after Christmas, not-too-cold will be nice.
Happy Holiday of your choice, and a Secular American Christmas to everyone!
elmo
Tom Lehrer! Memorized all his songs when I was a kid, and then discovered to my great joy that my freshman proctor was a student of his and knew him well. So he arranged for all of us to have dinner together.
Mostly I remember him waxing rhapsodic about how much he hated California, my home state for which I was at the time deeply homesick. Dinner didn’t go well. Still love his songs, though.
Gene108
@Cacti:
It was not Reagan v Mondale either. GOP candidate got 45%+ of the vote and carried 20+ states.
drkrick
@Roger Moore: For the bluegrass connection – Late in life, Bill Monroe defended himself from a disgruntled girlfriend with a fireplace poker using a copy of the Good Book, immortalized in bluegrass lore as the “I’m Using My Bible for a Blackjack” incident. Bill came out OK, but they had to rebuild his priceless mandolin from something close to spinters.
Trollhattan
In case folks have missed it, Charlie Pierce’s three-part piece “We Are Two Nation” is a good, if not cheery read on the state of the nation.
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Christmas_In_Two_Nations_Part_One
Libby's person
I just stuffed a goose; luckily, I didn’t read this until after I put it in the oven! We’re having a friend over for dinner tonight, which is mostly (1) un-ignorable motivation clean up the house, and (2) an excuse to eat a delicious, fat-laden meal. Roast goose with sausage-sage-apple-cornbread stuffing; potatoes roasted in goose fat and drippings; collard greens seasoned with bacon; winter squash finished by pan-frying in butter… Our arteries thank us for not eating like this often! (However, the dog would like us to know that she could get used to this lifestyle!)
Amir Khalid
@Davis X. Machina:
If nothing else, I suppose, the party needs a man whom the base doesn’t dislike enough to not vote for.
FlipYrWhig
@Roger Moore: Polymorphous perversity means there are all kinds of bangers. Bible, gang, wall, and mash…
Davis X. Machina
@Cacti: They covered the spread.
Yatsuno
CaseyL has invaded my hospital room. Lord help me. Send tempura.
Corner Stone
@Trollhattan: And yet, that’s the budget deal the Democratic Party agreed to before the break.
For no reason anyone can articulate, except for excuses and misguided wishful thinking.
James E Powell
@Davis X. Machina:
They both ran against the black guy with the unAmerkin name – without that factor, they lose like ’36
Karen in GA
@dmsilev: Wow. This is the best Christmas ever!
Okay, I’m overreacting. But the link, it makes me happy.
James E Powell
@Davis X. Machina:
They both ran against the black guy with the unAmurcan name – without that factor, they lose like ’36
Roger Moore
@Gene108:
Sure, but the flip side of that is that the Republicans will have a very hard time doing substantially better than Romney did in 2012. They may go into the election with 45% of the vote and 20+ states in their pockets, but their vote tops out not much better than that. There simply aren’t a lot of undecided voters or swing states, so the Republicans are in danger of winding up on the losing side of a series of not exactly landslide but not particularly close elections.
Yatsuno
And now MikeJ is here. I’m doomed. Seriously.
schrodinger's cat
@Yatsuno: Is you being a good kitteh?
Corner Stone
@Karen in GA: Eh, it sounds to me like they are doing Christie a favor by burnishing his “bully” street cred.
Nothing the base R likes better than someone in power abusing their position to hurt other people who aren’t them.
schrodinger's cat
@Corner Stone: Fat bastard is fat and mean. Not sure how that plays outside the base.
Corner Stone
@schrodinger’s cat: Everyone else, like Cole, thinks Christie is a great guy we can work with because he actually touched that black guy that one time.
Karen in GA
@Corner Stone: The R base isn’t enough to win a national election.
Corner Stone
@schrodinger’s cat: Why does your website have the “e” in your name but the nym here does not?
Hypocrisy! Apostasy! Ecstasy!
Corner Stone
@Karen in GA: I didn’t say he would win a GE, just that IMO, this bullying meme does not hurt him to get into an R primary.
schrodinger's cat
@Corner Stone: I forgot about the e when I first commented at BJ elebenty years ago and haven’t bothered to change my nym.
schrodinger's cat
@Corner Stone:
I hope that was not inappropriate. I don’t think Christie’s charm will work that well on women voters.
gogol's wife
@Yatsuno:
Did they bring the green balloons?
StringOnAStick
Screaming windy here on the beer(ish)-brewing western side of Denver, but then again that isn’t that uncommon around here; the house isn’t shaking so it’s more of a ho hum wind. Still, the prediction is for windchill of -3 tonight. Makes me glad we aren’t driving over to see my predominantly wingnut, Foxified family until tomorrow AM.
I think our antipodean friends have the better end of the deal: holiday travel in the middle of summer beats traveling during the dangerous weather season. Plus: beaches!
kc
Merry Christmas and Happy Festivus to all y’all dudebros.
joel hanes
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet, the words repeat:
“Peace on Earth! Goodwill to men!”
Wishing all of you and all of us a right Merrie Christmas,
and may the New Year bring you joy.
Yatsuno
@gogol’s wife: I fergot to request them. My bads.
James E Powell
@Corner Stone:
Last year we learned that for Republicans the primaries are what matters. Then, once the nomination is won, the candidate can etch-a-sketch a new identity. We laughed at the time, but the corporate press/media let Romney do it. They will let Christie do it. If they don’t, there will be no horserace to talk about.
Roger Moore
@schrodinger’s cat:
You could always try replacing the “o” with a “ő” and see if anyone notices.
Hal
I had a nice holiday argument with my Mother today about how it is not Obama’s fault her medicare secondary insurance rates go up every year. She’s at a point where her plan is very expensive for her, so of course, thanks Obama!
Have her rates gone up every year? Yes. Has she looked for a cheaper plan? No. Then it was all but but but…
I love my mother, but her and many of her friends are like this; older white people who think Obama has destroyed healthcare in America. Another friend of hers once said she opposed healthcare reform because it would make us like Canada, and in Canada you could not get cancer treatment in Canada, so Canadians have to go abroad. I give up on trying to argument logic with people who honestly think an entire country of people do not receive cancer treatments. I love the holidays.
Litlebritdiftrnt
DH is out Christmas Shopping (it is his tradition to do it on the Eve). He asked me for a list of things I wanted, I sat for an hour with paper and pen in hand while watching the Dr. Who marathon and came up with the following list.
1) A bottle of nice wine.
He looked at the list and expressed his displeasure at my lack of imagination. After he had been out shopping for a while we came to the compromise of him buying me a couple of stocking stuffers and me going to British Delights and buying as much food as I want. I love it when a plan comes together.
Been baking all day, made Apple Cinnamon muffins, and cinnamon raisin bread, prepared the dough for the donuts and cinnamon rolls so I will just have to bake/fry them in the morning before delivering them to the neighbors. DH and I are having a hefty roasting chicken done on the rotisserie for dinner, with sage and onion stuffing and all the trimmings.
Looking forward to watching the puppies open their presents in the morning.
raven
Got out of Lynchburg without ONE word about politics. Now safe in Blacksburg with a bunch of liberals who are going to the UU for a quick candlelight!
Saltysally
Thanks for the Tom Lehrer ref! pulled out my copies and enjoying them with pre supper cocktails! first discovered him in ’58, never gets old but I do here in FL.
PurpleGirl
@Mustang Bobby: Keith Olberman was right; that woman is an Idiot!
Betty Cracker
Aw, thanks, Tom! Happy holidays to you and yours!
kindness
Cooking a 20 lb turkey today. Gotta have the left overs over the holiday and the big show is at the in-laws tomorrow.
You folk cooking geese better be prepared to siphon off goose fat a couple times while cooking. Compared to turkeys & chickens, geese put out the juices.