Lights Out

You knew this day would come.

Lights out.

God Speed.

"The basic cause is mental"

The neglect of relevant distinctions, when these are important for clear thinking or adequate statement, is ambiguity.

R.W. Sellars, The Essentials of Logic (The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1917)

And what causes ambiguity? "The basic cause is mental" whatever that means. 

Only he who is willing o take the trouble to distinguish things and ideas which are ordinarily grouped roughly together, can escape the pitfall of ambiguity.

 Don't say I didn't warn you!

(How sad is it that I already have a tag, "logic?")

A Few Good Books

The Tower

in no particular order

UPDATE (7:40am): Something's wrong. Things aren't looking as they should. I'm working on it.

Part of the fun of collecting old books is in the finding of old books. Part of the fun in that is poking around different corners of the world, discovering what each has to offer. (I once discovered a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves-- why commas really do make a difference-- in a used book store just off Semmelweis Ut. in Budapest. Great book. Gave it away. Haven't found another copy since.) In this regard, Jonesboro was a disappointment. Usually there's a local flair to the offerings. If there was one in northeast Ark. I failed to appreciate it.

The seven Poli-Sci books were free-- picked up from a "Free Books" table to which A. Leland drew my attention in Memphis. Most of the remainder were from a Palmer Home type charity store called "Abilities" in downtown J'boro. Not that they each weren't worth $0.50 but... Ho Hum.

[Insert Multiple Offensive Swear Words]

Dear Army Pfc. Tariqka Sheffey:

Let me tell you a little something. You have royally ticked me off. Big time.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have stood, removed my cap, put my hand over my heart, turned to face the flag of the United States of America, and closed my eyes to try to keep a tear from rolling down my cheek. I love this country-- not out of some blind zombie patriotism but because I understand that there has never been a country in the history of the multiverse that is as exceptional as mine. Never.

My eyes don't well up because of some stupid nationalism or alliegiance to Dear Leader-- whomever he/she may be. I cry because the land of the free and home of the brave is fading away right in front of me. And it hurts. 

And you, you bitch, you hide in your car so you don't have to salute the flag. ARE YOUR F-ING KIDDING ME? 

You volunteered. You took an oath. But I guess stupid shit like that only matters to rubes like me.

You go to hell, Tariqka Sheffey. 

Marica

P.S. to Mr. Low-Man. I don't want to hear jack from you. Not one word.

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Back on the Farm

Compiled by John M. Mullen, Mullen Feature Syndicate, Lincolnton, North Carolina, 1936.

Realizing that to publish the Story of Texas in narrative form would require a book of many pages, we have chosen, for the sake of brevity, an interesting Question and Answer method...

This was the first of many EVENTUAL finds in Arkansas.

I had but one day to explore Jonesboro-- a city of 67,000+ folks with no real honest to goodness used book stores but more flea markets per square mile than I've ever seen in my life. Sad but true.

No offense to all y'all Arkansans out there, but y'all make Mississippians look down right cultured!

You know what else is sad but true? The one little vase with violets I picked up in a junk store thrift market somewhere west of Jonesboro was all wrapped up in newspaper and tucked away under the seat. I made it a point to sequester it thusly so to keep it from harm. And when we got back to the Farm, and I was doing my part to unload the truck, I dropped the danged bag just inside the door. Shatter. 

Anywhoo... . We are back on the Farm. 

We heard tell that the dogs missed us something frightful. Wouldn't eat. Missy cried herself to sleep or some such. 

This is sad. Daughter C and Miss M care for them so well. Those dogs are going to have to buck up. I did get a kick out of Missy jumping up on me-- something she never does-- but Missy. Seriously. I am not going to be able to take you to LA. You are going to have to figure out how to manage this. Daughter C and Miss M will help you. 

"What?"

"Nothing."

See the USA!

We crossed this bridge, turned right off the main road, went under the bridge,

saw this (someone "lives" there-- there was music playing), looked ahead

and saw this.

I commented, "This is a flood waiting to happen." Mr. Big Food agreed. 

No kidding!

By the way-- Arkansas is even less densely populated than Mississippi. Arkansas is ranked #34 (56 people per square mile); Mississippi #32 (63/sq.mi.). Now you know.

Still much more to come-- I dare say the most interesting part of yesterday's travels are still waiting to be shared. But I have an entire day to spend getting to know Jonesboro and so I'm off!

"Every body got a phone now."

"Don't sell many maps," said the lady at the Petro or Flying J or where ever in West Memphis, Arkansas when Mr. Big Food asked if they had a "topomap" (what we call the states Atlases and Gazetters). "Every body got a phone now." (For the record, we were places today where I had "1x" service.) 

Mr. Big Food settled for what turned out to be a woefully inadequate fold-up map of Arkansas and we set out to do some exploring. 

Looks like the Delta!

"WE BUY SCRAP METAL SEVEN DAYS A WEEK"

Elapsed time, 25 minutes

Arkansas: The Natural State (think entropy)

Marked Tree that way. Birdeye the other.

See the hawk? We saw a LOT of hawks.

I should stick in a page break in before things get too exciting.

Falling Off the Map

The "M" Bridge across the Mighty Mississippi

So I Went to an Art Show Yesterday

I loved it!

BIG LIFE!

Rocky & Missy sittin' in

Missy's box after lunch.

I'm not adjusting the color because I do have a life. But isn't this the silliest thing you've seen today? It's like they are best pals.

Mississippians, this is embarrassing.

Up at Breitbart.com just now

I don't think we need a constitutional amendment limiting the number of terms a representative can "serve." I think we can take matters into our own hands on June 24, 2014. Save the date. 

Related. 
And more.

A Preview

-->

 Aren't you lucky? [DRAFT version]

Books Bygone: It’s Almost Summer in Crockett’s Victory Garden!

by Marica Bernstein

We survived sixteen straight nights of subfreezing temperatures. We let our spigots drip and drip and still our pipes froze. We survived “snow days” without the pleasure of walking the dogs in the snow. But our seed packets arrived! And between dealing with all that the Southern Season of “Almost Summer,” and a pack of restless dogs, offer, we’ve still found time to start our heirloom tomato, pepper, eggplant, and celery seeds inside. But we cannot wait until we can play in the dirt, “as soon as the soil can be worked.”

While we’re waiting for that glorious day, I thought we might skim through an old favorite, “Crockett’s Victory Garden” by James Crockett (1977). Jim Crockett was the first host (1975-1979) of the PBS series of the same name. At that time the show first aired, Americans were still suffering from the effects of the Arab Oil Embargo. Gasoline had risen from $0.38/gal. to over $0.60 in a matter of months and was over $1.00 by the end of the decade. The first Energy Czar was appointed to fix things and gas rationing began. Times were tough. Says the show’s producer, “The timing for the show seemed perfect. … Self-sufficiency was both practical and fashionable, even if it meant digging up the front yard to plant tomatoes.”

The book begins with a nice dedication by Crockett, “May your garden, like mine, give you ‘Victory’ over the high cost of fresh vegetables as well as the joy and good health that come from living close to nature.” That’s a nice sentiment. Pass it along.

The television show ran in real time over the course of the year and so the book is organized month-by-month. It begins with March, though Crockett recognizes “the gardener’s year is a circle that has no absolute beginning or end.” He is opposed to the “boom and bust approach that leads to unmanageable surpluses” [cucumbers] “followed by bare or weedy ground for the rest of the season.”

Commenting on the vast number of vegetable gardening books available, Crockett claims “gardeners need more than clear how-to information.”  They need to understand the reasons behind certain practices and “logical explanations” for why gardening activities are done when they are. And “because time and the weather are critical factors in gardening” (you can say that again!) the book is designed to help you have “constant and bountiful production all year long.”

Crockett’s book is a clear explanation of common sense year-round vegetable gardening. But because he wrote from a New England Victory Garden perspective, we in Webster County will need to make some adjustments. For example, we need to back everything up by about two months. Crockett thins beets in May. Our beets are long gone by May. That space has been planted with peppers. And we don’t need to start Giant Red Mustard seeds inside. Sow them to the wind now.

These adjustments aside this is a great book for the novice and expert gardener alike. “May your garden, like mine, give you ‘Victory’ over the high cost of fresh vegetables as well as the joy and good health that come from living close to nature.” Pass it along.

Fall & Winter Soup Contest Entrant #6: Veganized Corn & Potato Chowder

All chowders are soups, but not all soups are chowders.

Before we discuss this particular soup-- and address the rumblings of an unnamed judge-- I'll direct you to the all things soup page where you can find links to discussion of and recipes for all six entrants in this years PLUS the bonus soup that didn't make it to the soup contest because we did not have a quorum of judges. 

This was a very good fall and winter soup. Smooth yet chunky. Seasoned very well although I noted some folks opted for a bit more salt. Miss M put it in 1st place, but bear in mind this is only the second she's voted on. 

Here are the standings so far:

• Entrant #4, Beer Cheese Broccoli Soup, has three 1st place votes. 
• Entrant #6, Veganized Corn & Potato Chowder, has one 1st place, one 2nd, two 3rd, and one 4th place votes.
• Entrant #1, Hot Potato Soup, has one 1st place and one 2nd place votes.
• Entrant #5, California Minestrone, has one 2nd and two 3rd place votes.
• Entrant #3, Cream of Bean, has one 2nd place vote. 
• Entrant #2 fell out of the running after Beer Cheese Broccoli.

 And now to the controversy regarding chowders and stews... .

Thad in Yesterday's News

at NRO's The Corner, yesterday

You don't say. 

So this is not about Cochran vs. McDaniel or about the TEA party. This is about an old man who needs to retire. 

To not "know a lot about" the TEA party in the 4th most conservative state in the Union is... . Well. It's laughable.

Recipe: Swanky Porterhouse

Swanky.

SWANKY PORTERHOUSE  
Serves 4 

2 ½ -3 lb porterhouse or sirloin steak, cut 2 inches thick 
¾ C onion, chopped fine (preferably Bermuda or Vidalia) 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
Dash salt 
Dash pepper 
Dash celery salt 
3 Tbsp dry red wine (claret works great in this) 
2 Tbsp soy sauce 
½ stick butter 
3 oz mushrooms, sliced 

Slash fat edges of steak and cut a pocket in each side of lean, cutting almost all the way to the bone. Combine onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and celery salt, and stuff mixture into steak pockets. Combine wine and soy sauce. Cook steak over hot coals for about 25 minutes total for rare (or to your preferred degree of doneness), turning once (or twice, to create a criss-cross grill pattern on one side). Brush steak occasionally with soy mixture while grilling. On side of grill, melt butter in a grill-proof container and cook mushrooms in butter. When steak is done, remove to platter, pour mushroom butter over steak, and cut thin across the grain.

Recipe: Creative Cooking Portuguese Chicken with Rice

I must say, I like this clay pot!

From The Creative Cooking Course: A Complete Course in the Art of Cooking with 1200 Recipes and 2500 Color Photos, Charlotte Turgeon, Weathervane Books, New York, 1973.

“Chicken stock, Sauterne and chopped onions are the divine flavors found in Portuguese Chicken with Rice. This delectable treat was baked in a sealed Roman pot for 2 hours.”

“Small Dinner Party Menu: Cream of Broccoli Soup [see recipe in Gumbos … section]; Portuguese Chicken with Rice; Tossed Salad Greens with Vinaigrette Sauce [see recipe in Appetizers … section]; Orange Lemon Ice [see recipe in Desserts section]; Suggested Wine: Traminer or Vinhos Verdes; Coffee with Brandy [see recipe in Libations section]”

CREATIVE COOKING PORTUGUESE CHICKEN WITH RICE   
Makes 3 or 4 servings 

2 C chopped onions 
Salt, freshly ground black pepper 
3 C chicken stock (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section) 
¾ C Sauterne (or other dry white wine) 
1 ¼ C long-grain rice 
½ stick butter, melted 
1 tsp paprika 
2 ½ lb chicken 
2 Tbsp flour, blended with just enough water to make a paste 

Soak a large Roman pot and lid in water to cover for 10 minutes. Combine onions, 1 ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, stock, Sauterne, rice, melted butter, and paprika. Sprinkle chicken lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place chicken in Roman pot and spoon rice mixture around chicken, Coat rim of Roman pot heavily with flour paste and press on lid. Place pot on a baking sheet in a cold oven, turn on oven temperature to 350°, and bake for 2 hours. Remove pot from oven and break seal immediately using the tip of a thin, sharp knife. “The chicken and rice may be served in the pot or transferred to a serving platter.

Recipe: Grand Diplôme Cherry Pudding

Valentine's Day dessert!

“Cherry pudding, with a meringue topping, can be served hot or cold.”—Grand Diplôme Cooking Course, vol. 3 (1971) 

“If possible fresh red cherries should be used for this dessert; if using canned ones, reduce the sugar in the pudding to 1 tablespoon.” 

“Add the drained cherries to the milk, egg and breadcrumb mixture before baking. Carefully pile the meringue on top of baked cherry mixture before returning pudding to a low oven to bake until crisp.” 

GRAND DIPLÔME CHERRY PUDDING 

1 lb fresh red cherries, pitted, or 16 oz can pitted red cherries, drained 
2 ½ Tbsp sugar 
1 ¼ C milk, scalded 
1 C fresh white breadcrumbs 
2 egg yolks (use whites for Meringue, below) 
Grated rind of ½ lemon 
1 C heavy cream (for serving—optional) 
Meringue Topping 

Preheat oven to 350°. If using fresh cherries, put into a pan, add 1 ½ Tbsp sugar, cover, and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour scalded milk over breadcrumbs and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in egg yolks, remaining 1 Tbsp sugar, and grated lemon rind. Drain fresh cherries (if using) and add drained cherries to mixture. Spoon mixture into a buttered 1 quart capacity soufflé dish, stand dish in a water bath, and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until mixture is just set. Remove pudding from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300o. Prepare Meringue Topping. Spread Meringue Topping over cherry mixture, sprinkle Meringue with reserved sugar, and let stand 4 to 5 minutes at room temperature. Bake pudding 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold with heavy cream (optional) 

MERINGUE TOPPING

Recipe: Onion with Sage Stuffing

Fresh sage

ONION WITH SAGE STUFFING  
Serves 6 

6 large onions, peeled, boiled 10 minutes or until almost tender, drained and hollowed out, leaving a ¾ inch shell, onion pulp reserved and chopped
4 C dry bread cubes 
3 Tbsp melted fat 
½ tsp chopped parsley 
1 Tbsp fresh sage or 1 tsp dried 
1 Tbsp chopped celery 
4-6 Tbsp stock or water (stock preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section) 
½ tsp salt 

Combine chopped onion pulp with bread cubes, melted fat, parsley, sage, celery, stock or water, and salt, and stuff mixture evenly into onion shells. Bake stuffed onions 30 minutes in pot with roast at 325°.

Recipe: Baked Ham with Glazes

with Pickaninny Creole

“Decorate baked ham with golden stars of orange peel to give dinner an extra sparkle.”—The Encyclopedia of Cooking Complete in 24 Volumes, Volume 8: 250 Ways to Prepare Meat (1953)  

BAKED HAM WITH GLAZES  

1 smoked ham, at room temperature, wiped with clean cloth, wrapped loosely “in one of the papers wrapped around ham or in clean wrapping paper" 
Glaze (see below) 
Whole cloves 

Preheat oven to 325°. Place ham fat side up on rack in shallow pan. “Do not cover pan or add water.” For baking, allow 15 minutes per pound for hams 12 lbs or over, 18 minutes per pound for hams under 12 lbs, 22 minutes per pound for half hams, or bake to an internal temperature of 150o, being sure bulb of thermometer is inserted in the center of thickest part of meat and does not touch bone. Bake to within 45 minutes of total baking time. Remove paper and rind from ham, make a series of shallow cuts across fat to cut into squares or diamonds, spread with desired Glaze, and insert 1 whole clove into each square of fat. Bake uncovered for the remaining 45 minutes.  

GLAZES

below

Recipe: Pickaninny Creole

--> “Serve with grilled bacon, ham or game.”—The Encyclopedia of Cooking Complete in 24 Volumes, Volume 13: 250 Ways of Serving Potatoes (1953) 

PICKANINNY CREOLE  

“Cut boiled sweet potatoes in halves lengthwise and arrange in a shallow pan. Cover with plenty of butter and brown sugar. Add a dash of mace, a sprinkle of salt and the grated rind of an orange. Bake in a moderate oven (350°F.) until the sugar and butter have formed a thick syrup, 30 to 45 minutes.”

Fresh Air

10 seconds

And now to Big Food recipes... .

Recipe Barrage

The recipe barrage will continue just as soon as I get back from taking the dogs on a walk. I need some air and it's a pleasant morning.

How old does a book have to be

before it gets my "crappy old book" designation?

Apparently not as old as once I thought.

Those who read along on an even semi-regular basis know I love crappy old books. I have a lot of crappy old books. I get most of them from junk stores and usually shell out one United States Dollar for each. I've got over 1200 volumes. Sure. Included are a complete set of Zane Grey and a bunch of crappy old cookbooks and several sets of encyclopedias. I have preserved a fair amount of Western Culture for a buck a book.

As you know, I am a BIG fan of the philosophical underpinnings of the Declaration of Independence, and of the Constitution of the United States of America.  I get that when one calls oneself a Libertarian with a BIG L one has to be able to argue for the big L. So my library is my resource. And yes, I have books in my library that are antithetical to my view. I do not like WEBDuBoise but I have some of his books. And I think Russel is a blowheart but I have one of his zillion autobiographies AND his history of philosophy. It does take all kinds. These are outweighed in kind and number by the books I have trumpeting the "American experiment", all written before Wilson. 

So it was a little out of character for me to have spent a buck on Bennett's The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals (1998). 1998 is too new, It's not crappy old.

But I bought it. And then I read it.

In the introduction I wrote that if the arguments made in defense of Bill Clinton become the coin of the public realm, we will have committed an unthinking act of moral and intellectual disarmament. Here is one specific example of what is now becoming a thoroughly mainstream, perfectly respectable point of view: in order to cover up an adulterous relationship between the president and a young White House Intern, acts of perjury and obstruction of justice should be considered inconsequential. That this matter is even a subject of a serious national debate is revealing and alarming. It is the New York Times which offered this eloquent reminder of what was once a common, elementary grade civics lesson:

"Law is the keystone of American society and political culture. If it does not apply to small matters concerning this president, the day will come when the public will be asked to believe that it should be ignored in large matters concerning some other president. Neither Mr. Clinton's political convenience nor Mr. Starr's clumsiness must tempt us into paying so high a price. The rule of law, whether applied to matters trivial or grand, is the central magic of the American governmental experience. To abandon it today will lead to peril tomorrow."

WTF do I care?

WTF do you care?

I do care. Call me a corny old country mouse. I care. I'm not seeing how that end-round suit is going to go very far. But SOMEONE has to do SOMETHING.

And to bring this back down to the real world... the boys were crow hunting. I asked them to pickup their shotgun shells.

Recipe: California Minestrone Soup

This was entrant #5 in our 2013/14 Fall & Winter Soup Contest. Full discussion of this soup here. All about the soup contest + links to all soup contest soup recipes here.
 
From Valentino’s, an old school Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, CA  

CALIFORNIA MINESTRONE SOUP  
Serves 6-8 

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 C celery, chopped
1 C onions, chopped 
1 C carrots, peeled and diced 
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (not olive oil) 
½ tsp dried thyme, crumbled 
½ tsp dried oregano, crumbled 
2-3 bay leaves 
16 oz tomato puree 
10 C water 
2 bunches fresh spinach, chopped, OR 1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach 
16 oz can green beans, drained 
16 oz can green peas, drained, OR 10 oz package, frozen 
16 oz can red kidney beans, drained 
8 oz shell macaroni 
Salt, pepper, to taste 

Heat oil in large kettle or Dutch oven, and sauté garlic, celery, onions, and carrots until vegetables are fresh-tender. Add thyme, oregano, bay leaves, tomato puree, and water, bring to a boil, add spinach, green beans, peas, and kidney beans, bring again to a boil, and add macaroni. Reduce heat and simmer until macaroni is cooked al dente. (Don’t overcook.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe: Broccoli Vinaigrette

This was from an early Spring Supper. Explanation for the post-it-note (TM) here.

BROCCOLI VINAIGRETTE  
Serves 6 

20 oz broccoli, cooked, drained, chopped, and chilled (can use frozen, cooked according to package directions, drained, and chilled) 

1 ½ C Italian dressing (preferably homemade—see recipes in this section) 
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped 
2 oz jar chopped pimento, drained 
8 black olives, chopped 

Just before serving, moisten broccoli with Italian dressing, and garnish with combined eggs, pimentos, and olives.

Recipe: Poached Eggs Boulangere

POACHED EGGS BOULANGERE  

3 “long narrow” potatoes, cut into thin slices, sautéed in 4 Tbsp (generous) butter until tender and browned nicely on both sides, seasoning to taste with a mixture of salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg

1/3 C (1 1/3 oz) (generous) cheese (“any desired kind”), grated 
6 fresh eggs 
Salt, pepper, mixed 
Fresh cream 

Preheat oven to 375°. Line bottom of a generously buttered baking dish with sautéed potato slices as evenly as possible, sprinkle potatoes with cheese, break eggs on top of cheese, keeping eggs separated, and dust eggs with salt-pepper mix to taste. Cover eggs with cream, and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until eggs are set. “Serve right from baking dish.”

LOL! We played this game.

If you could have a private dinner with any five presidents, whom would you pick.

We played this game last year, remember? In fact, we started the game on February 18, 2013. Here's the game board I made the next day. It still sits in the dining room.

Here's a snippet of conversation from near the end of the right side of Table 1:

Sam Colt (Mr. Big Food): The good people in this world are very far from being satisfied with each other and my arms are the best peacemaker. [Samuel Colt, 1852]

John Ford (Mr. Big Food): Be careful or you'll blow yer brains out. [from Ford's Wagon Master (1950), spoken by character Travis Blue (played by Ben Johnson)]

Robert E. Lee (A. Leland) I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (Marica): ... and repeatedly asked ourselves the questions: "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" "Are you able to endure the ordeals of jail?" [Letter form a Birmingham Jail]

Thomas Jefferson (Marica): All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God. [Thomas Jefferson letter to Roger C. Weightman dated June 24, 1826]

C.S. Lewis (Daughter C): If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.

Ayn Rand (Marica): We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only. We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon the light which we have made. We shall be forgiven for anything we say tonight. . . . [written by "Equality 7-2521," the main character of Rand's novella Anthem (1938)]

Recipe: Ribeye and Roasted Garlic Vegetables (cooking bag or clay pot)

Everything

Roasted veggies with garlic

Ribeye-- fork tender

This is a cooking bag recipe but Mr. Big Food turned it into a clay pot recipe by omitting the cooking bag and flour.

Either way, it's very easy. Put it together, go do something, come back in an hour and a half and eat!

Recipe below.