Sunday Boil October 30th, 2011

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An exceptionally nice day on the bay brought these Dungeness crabs to the pot. Very strict regulations determine which can be kept, out of the 20 or so I caught, only one was legal, but it’s a good brunch!

This is our Sunday Open Thread, feel free to offer up your own day of rest delights, culinary or otherwise. Or if you need to crab about something, that’s OK too.

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143 thoughts on “Sunday Boil October 30th, 2011”

    • A long time ago, I was returning a host of favors to some editor friends in NYC. I heard later that the mailroom refused to release the package until the editors came down and opened it: a box of four rounds of Boudin sourdough had been shipped via Fed Ex and the mailroom staff could smell their goodness through the box. It’s not true they were still warm, but they were still fresh.

      One of the advantages of shipping to NYC, I suppose, from another major city.

      And, yes, the mailroom crew took one round hostage. And ate it.

    • I get fun out of the little ID for pictures sometimes. Today’s pic simply says ‘lunch’.

  4. Ok, this isn’t exactly a shock:

    WASHINGTON—It’s an outrageous tale: The federal government spends one out of every $10 in transportation aid on wasteful projects such as refurbishing a giant roadside coffee pot and constructing turtle tunnels.

    That’s what Republican lawmakers have said repeatedly in recent weeks in the Senate, in public appearances and in news releases. They are trying to eliminate a requirement that states use a portion of their highway aid for “transportation enhancements,” 12 categories of projects from bike and walking paths to scenic overlooks and landscaping.

    But it’s not exactly true.

    To make their case, lawmakers have exaggerated and misrepresented some projects that have received aid.

    What follows is a catalog of outrageous lies and distortions by the likes of Inhofe and McCain focusing on 39 out of 25,000 cases that sound a lot like regulatory silliness — without bothering to mention that many, if not most, didn’t happen or didn’t use the relevant Federal funds.

    What is shocking is that this is an article from the AP. I saw a similar, even-handed piece within the last week in the AP feed, and today they’re running an article about Richard Muller and the global warming deniers.

    • Maybe it is juvenile but I can’t look at pRick or hear him without an immediate overlay of Pastor Gas..

      • I hadn’t read the comments but I like this one: “And those hand movements and goofy mannerisms, it reminded me of Lucy Ricardo doing her “Vitameatavegamin” nutrition elixir episode.”

  7. Ebb, you asked me a question last night about whether Bachmann and Bill Gates would be on This Week at the same time. I was going to answer on today’s daily when it came up, then it kept on not coming up all morning. :D

    Bachmann was on at the beginning of the show and Gates’ part was toward the end.

    (on Ahmedinejad)
    Bachmann: I think if there’s anything that we have learned over the course of history, it’s that, when a madman speaks, we should listen. And I think that, in the case of Iran, that is certainly true.

    Seems she would also like for people to listen to the ‘madwoman’, when she speaks, as well.

    • Thanks, House. My fervent wish was Bachmann and Gates be on ‘stage’ at the same time. Not necessarily talking on the same subject just to watch Gates face when Bachie spoke her nonsense.

      • Some guests are on at the same time, but I doubt Bachmann and Gates could have any issues to debate. Bachmann was there to argue against her irrelevancy and Gates just wants to hire all the IT talent in the world so he doesn’t have to compete against them.

        • (you are making me laugh – thanks)

          Very true about Bill.
          Isn’t it a bit pitiful Shelly thinks she has a chance? Delusions are what must keep her going.

    • They never get tired of recycling bad ideas and people with those bad ideas, so they?

  9. I spent some time with an old friend who lives in Stillwater, MN last night. After we got caught up on things I mentioned Shelly to sort of test the water since I know her husband is a deacon in their church and I was wondering if they had done been infected. I thought she was going to explode. Evidently the people in her district who are still sane reeeaaaallllyyy dislike her and her fundijellyjar crowd.

  10. Since I have no Dungies, I guess I will have to make do with using the leftover chili for burrito stuffing. Make up some Salsa Verde to go with the cheese on top and cilantro Spanish Rice as a side. Might even make up some guac if there are ripe avocados at the store.

    • That sounds good. I’m thinking of stuffing piquillo peppers with a mash of orzo, capers, olive tapenade, shallot, garlic, and anything else in the frig. Heh. I still want to think it’s warm and sunny, and eat accordingly. Oh well.

        • No – I’d never be able to live without seafood.

          My comment was on Hooda’s menu – even though no seafood (marisco nada) it sounded wonderful.

          Yours is tempting the taste buds. (can’t drool as this keyboard is a loaner)!

  12. Could y’all send me some of those crabs?
    No snow for me, but the 10 inches up on the Blue Ridge has cancelled son’s and my trip tomorrow. :(
    I hope all the east coasters north of me get their power back soon, snow is not supposed to fall on trees that still have leaves.

    • Sad about your cancelled outing.

      Too bad it’s not practical to place all the power lines underground – that would certainly cut way back on the outages.

  13. (attempting to pay a bill on line…this pops up)

    We are enhancing your online experience, and our systems are temporarily unavailable. Please try again on Sunday, 10/30 after 5 p.m. CT. We apologize for the inconvenience.

    It wasn’t too long ago they totally effed up the ‘on line experience’ – wonder how the latest ‘improvement’ will hamper paying the damn bill!

    • I’ve seen this same practice, often on Sundays.
      “Enhancing your on-line experience” seems to mean adding more fluff and debris that makes actual relevant information harder to find.

  14. There is clear evidence that all of these conspiracy theories the Right comes up with about how the Left is constantly trying to control the population via various mechanisms like subliminal messages in TV and fluoride in the water are just so much hooey.

    If it were true they would have substituted thorazine for fluoride in Red states. ;)

  15. Little Eric Can’tor is scheduled to speak at the U of Michigan business school tomorrow. I’m betting he backs out.

    • Guest speaker at a business school. Why am I not surprised.
      He may want to keep a low profile in Ann Arbor however, he might get Occupied.

      • One group of students is planning to hold a funeral for the middle class prior to his speech. Little eric never appears before any group that isn’t prescreened or otherwise under his control.

        • I can hear the cancellation now…Rep Can’tor chose to respect the grief of the funeral.

  16. In further Eric news…in an effort to appear human, he has arranged for 60 minutes to do a segment on Thanksgiving at the Cantor home.

    • Now, if his object was to appear more foul-like, I could accept him being stuffed and basted.
      Oh, and seeing him dropped into one of those plucking machines would be cool…

    • “This is Robbing Leach and today we are broadcasting a short pilot on 60 Minutes of our new program, “Lifestyles of the Bitchy and Infamous. Today we will be joining that exceptionally whiny bitch, Eric Can’tor in his posh home to try and show you that while Republicans can be insensitive and heartless they can still buy prime time to rub your nose in the fact that they have no worries. The appetizer buffet is a lovely display…”

      • (Mrs. Cantor):
        “Eric, the sweet dear, actually squeezed one of the [kosher, of course] cranberries with his bare hands before dropping it into the pot as Mrs.Gutierrez was preparing the relish. And to demonstrate how much we care about endangered species, he also said a prayer over the smoked sturgeon.
        We have so much, and we are mostly thankful at this time of year. We just wish that the rest of you miserable ingrates would quit complaining about how much we have that you don’t. Here, try some of the caviar, Native Americans used to eat this too, you know…”

  17. I’m over the hill (No – that one I’ve already climbed):

    My sister-in-law says it’s a cloudless, warm day: the Monarch butterflies are thick in the air and the whales are cavorting fairly close to shore near the harbor..
    off to Santa Cruz!

  21. “dropping like a stone in the polls”
    Perhaps it has just registered with the dimbulbs that he’s a Texas governor, and the disaster of the last one is still recent enough in the past.

    • I’m thinking that the current crop of crazies all make GW look like a Rhodes Scholar. Just try to imagine how a Republican has to somehow look at them, knowing the Shrub was sadly lacking in all aspects and they all make him look good. Pitiful, jest pitiful. Its like voting for Jethro’s dumb brother.

      • Nah, you get something good outa that. But it does remind me of the classic story ‘Stone Soup’. Only the Republicans would just get wet rocks and think it tasty.

  22. Hooda and Raven really did make me laugh out loud. I’m off to make a pizza and rip the guts out of a pumpkin.

  23. Just got the first email response regarding one of the jobs I’ve applied for — my qualifications are really great, but I was not chosen for an interview.

    Awesome…

  24. FAUX”News” is easier to predict than the snow. I hope everyone is safe and not being inconvenienced too much. Eric Bolling? He takes cracks at Al Gore which is a move that I predicted the moment I heard about the impending storm. I really wish we had started a pool because Bolling was my choice for which jackass would be first and loudest.

    http://mediamatters.org/blog/201110290006?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MediaMattersForAmerica-CountyFair+%28Media+Matters+for+America+-+County+Fair%29

    • The real reason we have had major snowstorms in the NE is Gawd is punishing the US for listening to deniers. It isn’t about global climate change, it is about this deity who is trashing the world it created because people haven’t all converted. It’s the 2nd act after drowning NO for being too queer.

      • “….because people haven’t all converted. ”

        So. Just because you have free will to believe or not to believe, you’ll get punished if you don’t believe?

  25. Let’s say there was a little bit of leftover crab plus some fresh salmon fillets (boneless, skinless, six ounces each or so) on hand. Here’s a recipe we put together some years back when we were camped on Arizona’s Mogollon Rim and the ice chest contained some nice crab and salmon. We’ve since made it at home numerous times and, in fact, tried it just the other night here with some frozen salmon and some decent crab from the grocery store. It still makes for a damned interesting main course!

    To serve two:

    12 ounces, more or less, skinless fillet of fresh salmon (preferably wild Keta, Coho, King, etc.)
    1/2 cup onion, freshly and finely chopped
    1/2 cup (cooked) crab meat, finely chopped
    1/4 – 1/2 cup finely shredded Swiss cheese
    2 tsp chopped dill weed, preferably fresh
    1 tsp Dijon mustard
    1 tsp finely shredded fresh ginger
    1 Tbsp molasses
    1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
    2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

    To begin, mix the (each finely chopped) onion and dill with the mustard, cheese, ginger, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar, stir until it becomes a ‘smooth’ but lumpy paste. Then, add the crabmeat, and stir again.

    Meanwhile, prepare an aluminum foil four-sided ‘boat’ which is just large enough to hold the fillets. Uniformly coat the bottom of the boat with no more than half of the crab mixture, then place the fillets into the boat and uniformly coat the top surfaces with the rest of the crab mixture, taking care to catch the sides and ends as well.

    Finally, place the boat into a pre-heated 425 oven and bake for no more than 15 minutes. If the fillets are less than 3/4 inch thick, reduce the baking time proportionately.

    The dish can easily be also prepared in a Dutch oven over and under open coals, just be careful not to overheat the bottom to the point where it burns the crab mixture.

        • Yeah, I have a friend who set up a Halloween Village. Bunches of miniature buildings and stuff. She asked to borrow my tripod and she’s literally been taking pictures of her village all day. I just left the tripod and came home.

      • Ding dong….badmoodman opens door.

        Three children in costume. “Trick or treat.”

        Badmoodman. “Bah, humbug!”

        • I darken the house and never answer the door.

          About 8 or 9 years ago people in this neighborhood started decorating their for Halloween houses like it was Christmas on steroids. Really over-the-top dreck. Then somehow some people decided to put up wooden horses at either end of the street to block cars from getting through. So cars, buses and vans would transport loads of kids into the block. We literally have over a thousand people on Halloween night roaming the street. And since I live on a corner with a wide expanse of lawn it becomes a shortcut between streets and a camping out spot for people to rest or whatever.

          I’m putting grass seed and manure on the lawn tomorrow and putting up a yellow “police” tape around the perimeter. Those people can breathe deep the cow shit smell and GET OFF MY LAWN!!

      • While walking after dark yesterday I was surprised to see several houses decorated with orange “christmas” lights.

        I wonder if the NYC law against masks will be enforced?

        I once worked where we had 17 paid holidays, but Halloween was not one of them.

        • My wife is an elementary school teacher. School closes at 12:30 tomorrow because — you guessed it — it’s Halloween.

          How times have changed.

    • Halloween used to be a lot of fun. But like most holidays it got commercialized to the point of why bother? This is true of damn near every holiday.

      Where will we be when holidays are only commercial Hallmark things and all the old things are buried under candy, flowers and such?

  28. Holidays no longer have meaning. They are days off work. They are days to buy things. Oh, Jebus was born or reborn so go buy presents or candy or hard boiled eggs or something.. We don’t actually celebrate anything. We get time off work. We do so for religious reasons or patriotic reasons but no one seriously sees either as anything other than a day off work. There is no serious embracing of reasons for why, just a day off.

    • An excuse to drink more beer than usual and slather everything with atrocious concoctions of tomato based glop.

      • The average American is totally incapable of serious religious devotion. Heck, the average American is seriously incapable of of understanding anything that doesn’t benefit them directly.

        The last time the average American had some sort of religious thought was the last time they thought they were going to die.

    • My favorite is Thanksgiving. No gifts, no fuss, just cooking lots of wonderful food and spending time with friends and family. And leftovers. :)

    • I’ve been trying to come up with something clever to say about Cain and Cantor. Two names that scream for a punchline of some sort.

    • Very cool. The Occupy movement is inspiring creative expressions which will help it move beyond simply street protests. It is solidifying into a well rooted fact of life. The 1% is going to have to deal with it.

      • Wells Fargo has decided not to start charging a monthly fee for the use of an ATM card! They are taking notice. BofA is stubbornly holding on to charging the fee.
        We’ll see what effect the ‘take your money out of banks and put it in Credit Union’ goes. BofA may change its mind.

        My CU doesn’t deal in change – I have to go to the larger grocery stores to purchase quarters for laundry!

  39. The Humpback Whales seemed to have taken Sunday off – not one sighted.
    (We walked several miles of the coast – my brother & sister-in-law couldn’t believe we didn’t see one. They swear there were so many sighting this whole week.)

    Monarch butterflies – everywhere. It is so wonderful to dodge the beauties!

  40. 10-30-2011 10:29 PM ∞ t witter

    Coulter Defends Cain

    Conservative pundit Ann Coulter weighed in on the Politico story regarding Herman Cain’s alleged “sexually suggestive” harassment of two women while at the National Restaurant Association, according to a tweet from Politico reporter Alex Burns.

    “It’s outrageous the way liberals treat a black conservative,” she said

    As opposed to conservative teapottiers/rebups who treat a progressive black man who just happens to be the President.

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