Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

“Alexa, change the president.”

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

This really is a full service blog.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

T R E 4 5 O N

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

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Recipe Exchange: Twenty Years You Say

Recipe Exchange: Twenty Years You Say

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Technically, this wasn’t my first post, but it was the first post in which I had the keys to the kingdom. There was no looking back and I drifted from just recipes and pets to political rants (because isn’t that why we are all here?).

I thought I’d repost it tonight, because, while Trixie is 13 weeks and I have video of her first snowstorm, work has kept me from putting together her weekly portrait, etc. I’ll try and post that mid-week.

Here’s some Trixie to hold you over – live-action. She’s a pretty laid-back pup, other than jumping around like her feet are made of springs like Tigger’s tail, I think she’s just too busy growing to be too goofy. She does spend a great deal of time sleeping on her sister and I can’t say Scout is all that amused.

Without further ado – my very first post from September 18, 2015:

Wow. Here I am behind the curtain at Balloon-Juice. [[surveys surroundings]]  And it’s just like you’d expect, full of libruls and DFHs.

Hello.

Since Anne Laurie has somehow been shut out of the blog (harrumph) it has fallen to me to actually post my own recipe exchange. Enjoy. Play nice. Here are the recipes for tonight:

Spinach Tomato Soup

What a week we’ve had here. I retreated to the kitchen often, cooking truly reduces my stress and helps me refocus. And since everyone needs to eat, I have a perfect excuse to retreat and regroup.

Cool weather blew in today, signalling the start of soup season, a great time of year. I have quite a few soup recipes and I began the season with one of my favorites, Tomato-Spinach, pictured above and recipe here.

Next up, Pumpkin Bars, because I needed something to share with friends and this recipe makes a lot. Click here for recipe and photos.

JeffreyW went to the Farmer’s Market and made Refrigerator Pickles, there are plenty of great photos and the pickle recipe here. He went on to use the beans he purchased to make Three Bean Salad, here.

And finally, for the pet lovers, some Bixby pictures and a bit of an update.

It’s the last official weekend of summer, how will you usher it out? What’s on your plate for the weekend? We are going to head up to the mountains to take in some color, which is predicted to be a short show this year.

Sausages with Grapes

For tonight’s featured recipe, I decided to experiment with flavors I would have never thought of on my own. Facebook and blog friend Michael F, shared a recipe on Facebook from Italy, in Italian no less, and the photo intrigued me. I let google translate the recipe (which was a hoot) and went about putting my touches into it.

It was so unusual, my most reliable recipe testers politely declined my dinner invite. Totally understandable. But I will tell you I was pleasantly surprised how well this turned out. If you like pork and apples, this has a similar flavor palate. It was also quick and easy to prepare. I’m glad I decided to experiment.

All right, if you’re up for something new and different, here you go, tonight’s featured recipe.

Sausage and Grapes

  • 8 links Italian sausage (I used spicy, but you could use any style sausage you favor)
  • 1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 cup green seedless grapes, washed, dried and halved lengthwise
  • 1 cup red seedless grapes, washed, dried and halved lengthwise
  • salt and pepper to taste (I used none, didn’t need it)
  • angel hair pasta
  • freshly grated Parmesan

skillet

Slice sausage links into four pieces each, add to skillet and fry on medium high for about 10 minutes. Add onion and fennel seeds, cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add grapes, stir until well mixed, cover and let simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes while pasta cooks.

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.

You can toss with the sausage mixture, or serve separately. Serve with Parmesan.

The pasta was my addition. When I asked Michael what would be a good side, he suggested eggplant or roasted potatoes. Roasted zucchini spears would probably work well, too.

Here is the original recipe.

That’s it for this week. Hope I didn’t screw anything up.  Have a great weekend. – TaMara

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Back to real time, this is an open thread…

Reader Interactions

38Comments

  2. 2.

    planetjanet

    You always take such beautiful photos of the food. They are very professional. I am not fond of sausages, but I want to try your recipe just from the looks of it.

  4. 4.

    planetjanet

    So now reading about your pumpkin bars, I want to make my pumpkin fluff, but I am out of pumpkin. :(

  8. 8.

    laura

    Ooh, sausages and grapes baked until the grapes pop and then drizzled with balsamic vinegar and baked until sticky (insert homer simpson drooling gif). Spouse and I met a beautiful gentleman Dane on New Years Day at an outside beer garden. He was elegant as can be and confident as benefitted a handsome black & white Dane can be. I thought of Trixie when spouse referred to the extra large mitts.

    I made the King Arthur Baking gingerbread last night. The top is as sticky as a dive bar floor. I added white pepper, grated ginger squeez’ns and chopped crystal ginger. Had some with tea at bed time and had a tums a few hours later when it burned through my gut. And yet, it’s so good.

  9. 9.

    ExpatDan

    Nam Jim Talay – นำ้จิ้มซีฟู้ด​ (Thai Seafood Sauce)
    Yield : Makes ⅓ cup
    Ingredients
    2-5 Thai chilies
    4 cloves garlic
    5-6 cilantro stems, chopped
    2T fish sauce
    3T lime juice
    2t finely chopped palm sugar

    How to:
    In a mortar and pestle, pound garlic and chilies to a paste. Add palm sugar and pound until dissolved. Add cilantro roots and pound to a paste. Add fish sauce and lime juice; stir to mix. Store in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.

  10. 10.

    ExpatDan

    Even better, arguably, than the seafood sauce? With a nice sliced mid-rare tenderloin: Nam Jim Jaew – น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว  Preparation : 15 mins

    Cooking : 10 mins

    Total : 25 mins

    Yield : ½ cup

    Ingredients: 1 tablespoon ground toasted rice

    ¼ cup tamarind paste

    2 tablespoons fish sauce

    ½ disk palm sugar (about 1T)

    1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

    1 spring onion, thinly sliced

    3-4 sprigs cilantro, chopped

    1 tablespoon lime juice

    1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (to taste)

     

    Recipe : Toast the rice in a dry plan over medium heat until golden brown and starts smelling like popcorn. Grind using a mortar or a spice grinder until it’s a coarse powder.  Strain tamarind paste using a strainer. Add it to a small sauce pan or pot, medium low heat. Add fish sauce and palm sugar. Cook until the palm sugar is dissolved.  Pour the sauce carefully into a small bowl. Add toasted rice, crushed red pepper, shallot and cilantro. Mix everything together. Serve with any meat, especially with rare cut beef…

  12. 12.

    NotMax

    Someplace have a recipe for Cornish game hen with grapes, which is cooked in the microwave and then finished (browned) in the oven.

    Speaking of unusual pairings, appleroni anyone? Oh those zany Swiss.

  13. 13.

    eclare

    The cardboard box was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2005!

    As always, love any Trixie news/video.

  14. 14.

    LeftCoastYankee

    TaMara, I saw that sausage and grapes recipe on your site some time in the last year and have tried it several times, and it rocks.

    Didn’t realize it was in your first BJ post.

  15. 15.

    Jay

    Gotta love snowflakes,

    Each one is a unique crystalline  structure,

    Each with its own beauty,

    They reflect and almost create a unique light,

    And they are ephemeral, quickly becoming lumps of ice and air, shortly after landing in most cases, and they do not last,

     

    And when they invite 20 billion of their friends to the party, they can shut down an entire $&(€/“& city.

  16. 16.

    Yutsano

    I don’t care if this is true or not. I choose to believe this happened.

    Vicki Lawrence texted Carol Burnett re: Betty White – “This just sucks. I hate this. It’s just horrible to see the people you love so much go away.”Carol responded, ‘I know, I know. I spoke to Betty’s assistant … and she said the very last word out of her mouth was ‘Allen.’” https://t.co/mIeyNuHqxd— Rex Chapman?? (@RexChapman) January 3, 2022

  17. 17.

    ExpatDan

    Grapes, you say? We had this at a vineyard in Hua Hin Thailand…Yam Neua Yang/Spicy Steak Salad/ยำเนื้อย่าง​​- what’s​interesting/non-traditional is the pickled red grapes

    1 lb beef sirloin steak, medium rare, cut into thin strios
    1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    1-1.5 tablespoon fish sauce
    2 tablespoons lime juice
    1 teaspoon palm sugar
    1 tablespoon green onion, chopped
    2 tablespoons kaffir lime leaves, cut into fine strips
    1/4 cup mint leaf
    2 shallots, thinly sliced
    2 teaspoons galangal, finely chopped
    2 teaspoons lemongrass, sliced very thin
    1/2 cup red grapes, sliced in half, lighty pickled

    Directions

    Place the steak in a dish and rub both sides with 1 teaspoon of the fish sauce, and marinate for 10 minutes. On a medium/high charcoal grill, grill to medium rare. Slice, Combine Crushed Red Pepper, leftover Fish Sauce marinade, LimeJuices, Palm Sugar, Green Onions, Kafffir Lime Leaves, Mint, Shallots, Galangal, LemonGrass, and Red Grapes. Adjust for taste. Serve.

  23. 23.

    Amir Khalid

    Off topic: I’m going to be admitted to hospital for a few days, so you all might not hear from me for a few days.

  24. 24.

    James E Powell

    @Amir Khalid:

    Dude, I was just thinking I hadn’t seen your name for a bit. I hope whatever it is works out and you are back learning new songs and working on your chops very soon.

  26. 26.

    trollhattan

    @Amir Khalid:

    Best wishes. I’d say luck but you know, competent doctors and full recovery sound better.

    As to Liverpool, I dunno man, saw that Chelsea match and think Man City will pull clear.

  31. 31.

    Winston

    As much as I enjoy the front pager’s here who lead the comments, who are unpaid slaves to the blog father (plantation owner) I have to say, demand your freedom.

  34. 34.

    Elizabelle

    @Amir Khalid: 

    All the best to you. Short stay that sends you home healthier, please. Wish you could take a guitar along for comfort.

    But, which one???

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @Amir Khalid:  I was thinking of you in this past holiday week, wondering if soon you might be ready for another cat to come live with you.

    I hope your hospital stay is short and successful and that you are hope soon, better than when you left!

Comments are closed.