• Food, Glorious Food - Home Improvement - Mini-Posts

    A cook’s favorite, sturdy tool | csmonitor.com

    A cook’s favorite, sturdy tool | csmonitor.com Years later, my brother came to the rescue. He hollered at me for washing my skillet with soap, and sternly informed me that it should only be cleaned with water, coarse salt, and hot oil – never soap. He seized my trusty-but-iffy skillet, scrubbed it with handfuls of coarse salt, and snatched the canola oil, pouring in a very small amount onto the skillet. Next, he proceeded to quickly heat the skillet to a high temperature, spreading the oil with a paper towel. When he was finished, it was smooth and clean.

  • Hot Off The Presses - Politics, Schmolitics

    Blagojevich Enjoyed The Limelight, Burris Fumbles The Numbers

    I can’t believe Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris to the Senate, I can’t believe Burris accepted after earlier saying he wouldn’t, and I can’t believe that Blago just said he’s enjoyed the limelight of the past few weeks. But he did, he did, and he did. I don’t know if video of this news conference will stay up for long on most television news sites, but I’m listening to an unfiltered stream that WBEZ put up shortly after the end of the presser. I had to stop it just now to get my head together. At least the reporters had some…

  • Dear Mom - Episcopal - Random Access Memories

    Christmas Disasters | Padre Mickey’s Version

    Padre Mickey tells the thrilling tale of one memorable Christmas, when a flaming dessert burned itself into the memories of everyone present (also the carpet, furniture, the kitchen floor) before being kicked back into the kitchen). He promises 2 more visitations of this memory, as recalled by other, saner heads. It’s a Rashomon Christmas! You owe it to yourself to read the whole thing: I nearly coughed up a lung laughing at it. We had a wonderful meal; lots of good food, and the children opened presents, and oh, what a wonderful Christmas it was! Gramma Connie had prepared a…