Looks like we could use a new thread.
Archives for 2021
Thursday Evening Open Thread: This Year’s Festivus Miracle
Not much of a miracle, but it’s not much of a holiday (yet). It’s all over the twitterverse: TFG did a Faux News interview with Candace Owens, and made mouth noises:
… The Vaccine is one of the greatest achievements of mankind… All three vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J) are very good… The vaccines work – If you take the vaccine you are protected… People aren't dying when they take the vaccine…
If you click on the link, it’s pretty clear that neither participant in the exchange has any real interest in what the other one is saying. But it does seem like his handlers are trying to gin up a new ‘more presidential’ Trump for the big year-end media push — his hair isn’t dyed, he’s not waving his tiny hands around, and frankly it sounds to my cynical ears like like they’ve put the old man on some kind of psychotropic medication. Although that may just be the contrast with Owens, who is obviously alarmed by the failure of all her favorite Conjure Words to deter open apostasy.
(She also reminds me of the putative definition of yammer as a combination of yap and hammer; consider yourself forewarned.)
Thursday Evening Open Thread: This Year’s Festivus MiraclePost + Comments (184)
Ta Da!
Little blurry because of the steam:
And in some good news, another cop was convicted for killing a man for no reason:
Kim Potter, the white former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright in April, has been convicted after appearing to mistake her handgun for a Taser during a deadly traffic stop.
Potter, 49, was found guilty on Thursday of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter in relation to the April 11 traffic stop that ended with the 20-year-old Black man’s death. The former officer, who resigned from the force after 26 years on the job, now faces 35 years behind bars when she is sentenced on Feb. 18.
Potter briefly lowered her head and closed her eyes as the verdict was read out. As Judge Regina Chu thanked the jury for their sacrifice, calling them “heroes in this case,” Potter silently performed the sign of the cross. One female juror appeared to be crying as the verdict was read, a WCCO reporter in the courtroom said.
Maybe if this keeps up, police across the country will re-evaluate their “kill ’em all and let God sort them out” approach to policing.
John Cole’s Amazing One of a Kind Beef Stew
Like I said, I got some time on my hand, and I have been craving beef stew, so I thought I would cook up a big batch of beef stew to store in the freezer and have for dinner. As I was doing it, I thought “why not share my recipe since it is so easy.”
Now be foreworned, this may not be how you have had beef stew or how you make beef stew, and I am certain it will piss off the professional chefs and the recipe afficionado types, because I don’t really have measurements. I just eyeball it and go.
What you will need for this (other than a big pot, and stove, and a knife), is the following:
Big ole hunk of beef: You can use anything you like from the cheaper cuts of beef. I had a massive chuck roast in the freezer that I bought for pennies on the dollars months ago because I still shop like I lived through the depression, so that is what I used. But you can use round, sirloin, brisket (although who would do that it is so damned expensive these days), etc.
Veggies: I am sure there are official veggies for some types when it comes to stew, but my attitude is you are the one eating it, put in whatever you damned well please. Personally, I added carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions, celery, parsnips, mushrooms, and peas to this one.
Flour and seasonings: Any old flour will do, but I had some AP on hand and that is what I used. For herbs, I had some fresh parsely, rosemary, and thyme, a head of garlick, and some bay leaves.
Oil: Any old oil will do. Again, I am sure some people will bitch about using a specific type, but I just used olive oil because I only have avocado, olive, sesame, and chili oil on hand and olive made the most sense.
Misc: Tomato paste, red wine, lee & perrins, beef stock.
Directions:
Turn your sink on so it is cool, and give your beef a good wash and pat it dry with towels. Put it on the cutting board and ignore it. Fill your sink with cool water and half cup of salt, throw all your veg in it. This will serve to start the wash on your veg, firm up any loose celery or what not, get any bugs off it, etc.
Go back to your beef. Cut it up into cubes the size you want. Throw it all into a container (I just use a big cambro I have on hand). Give it a couple splashes lee & perrins, a little bit of salt, and grind some black pepper into it. Put the lid on, and vigorously shake it for a bit until the salt/pepper/wworcestershire sauce is evenly distributed it. Put it aside.
Wash your veg, drain the sink, pull the veg out and put in another container (or your stew pot). Clean your cutting board and dry it off. Begin chopping your veg.
Again, this is a personal thing as far as I am concerned. It’s stew. No one gives a shit about precision knife cuts. I personally want big hunks of veg because they all cook different. I cut all but the biggest mushrooms in half and quarter the others, and so on. Just user your own judgment this ain’t rocket surgery. Once all your veg is done, put it aside. Obviously you cut your garlic normally or use your press, etc.
Go back to your meat container, give it a shake, and throw in a quarter to half cup of ap. Shake the living shit out of it. While you are doing this, bring your skillet with the oil up to temperature. When done coating the beef with flour, start to brown it in the pot/skillet. Take your time you want it nice and browned on all sides. If you have more beef than you can do in one run, just make sure to add more oil and let it heat up. You can just go ahead and throw the browned pieces into your stew pot with your veg.
Once all the beef is done and in the stew point, deglaze your skillet with red wine. Get all that flavor out of there, add in some of your beef stock and the tomato paste, heat it up and stir until it is consistent, and then dump it into the stew pot.
At this point, everything should be in your stew pot. Throw in your beef stock. I use stock I made myself, but if you are buying it I would recommend the unsalted so you can salt to your liking. Throw in the rest of the wine, wrap your herbs in cheesecloth and chuck them in, and bring it up to temp.
And you are basically done. Once it is near a boil turn it down to a simmer, put a lid on it, and be like Elsa and Let it Go. Just fuck off for a few hours, checking every now and then to make sure you are not burning it and to give it a stir. If it seems to be too thick, add some more stock or water. Not think enough, make a roux and throw it in. If it needs salt, add salt.
When it is almost done I like to throw in a half stick of butter to give it a creamier mouth feel, but again, that is me.
Again, just have fun, this is something that is really hard to screw up.
Also, this is what mine looks right before I put the lid on it:
John Cole’s Amazing One of a Kind Beef StewPost + Comments (120)
VAYKAYSHUN
I’m on vacay, as the kids say, so that means I am running around doing all the shit I should have done the past few months. Like installing the Blink doorbell I bought in August which has sat on the mantle for four months as a static display of my uselessness, putting some shims in the posts in the basement, giving all my knives a good sharpening, examining the cupboard for super expired shit, and shitposting on twitter.
Whatcha all up to?
Thursday Morning Open Thread: Readership Capture, in the Spirit of the Season
The pure joy on President Biden’s face (00:25 mark) when Muir asks him if he’d run against TFG in 2024…
Biden on 2024.
Says Trump running would make him more likely to run again.
Says he plans to run "but look. I'm a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many, many times. If I'm in the health I'm in now, if i'm in good health, then in fact I would run again." pic.twitter.com/7G07P18Vxn— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) December 23, 2021
U.S. President Joe Biden said the creation of a task force to address supply chain issues has made ‘significant progress’ and staved off a pre-Christmas crisis https://t.co/WDL2ZHKU4i pic.twitter.com/JhksEzzUQE
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 23, 2021
Take that Scrooge, the Grinch and all of the doubters that this could happen. Also shelves are stocked at 90% (pre-pandemic levels are 91%) https://t.co/THrlScmXwf
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) December 22, 2021
The US economy is booming, with a 7% annualized growth rate expected in the final quarter compared with 2% last quarter. America is outpacing the Eurozone (2%) and China (4%). ?@TomFairless? https://t.co/8xf0ZtryCU
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) December 22, 2021
A bow on your present:
I thought I knew Green Eggs and Ham better than most people, but at Kimball Elementary’s vaccination site earlier this month I finally met my match. pic.twitter.com/4MI1BcIsPZ
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 22, 2021
Thursday Morning Open Thread: Readership Capture, in the Spirit of the SeasonPost + Comments (266)
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Wednesday / Thursday, Dec. 22-23
Pfizer's antiviral pill—Paxlovid—becomes the 1st US-authorized at-home Covid treatment. The medication, which heads off the infection's worst effects, was approved by the FDA Wednesday. This milestone comes as US cases, hospitalizations & deaths are rising https://t.co/1MiyuY8bRw
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 22, 2021
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Wednesday / Thursday, Dec. 22-23Post + Comments (70)