Don't let the terrorists win, brine your chicken

This recipe was taken from a Sunday Supplement article on Jamie Oliver.  You can see the whole recipe here-> http://bit.ly/e3h2zd.

But if you do nothing else, you must use this recipe for brining chicken. I can do anything with my chicken breasts that would normally dry them out and they stay moist and tender.

1 QT water
2 Tablespoons Kosher salt (Yes, Kosher. Don't use regular salt)
1/3 cup honey
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 sprigs fresh sages, leaves only (I used 2 teaspoons of rubbed sage in a spice bottle)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (No, not white vinegar.  You have to use the brown type)
Juice and zest of one lemon.  (I cut the lemon in half and then squeeze the juice in and then just throw the whole lemon in the container.

I put all of this is a 2 Quart Tupperware container and then stir and add the chicken. Brine for 1-2 days then cook.

Sweet and Sour Cole Slaw (with Ramen noodles)

Ingrediants
1  - 16 oz bag of cole slaw veg mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 Tblspoons of white vinegar
3 Tblspoons of Sugar
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
1 Teaspoon vegetable bullion or the spice packet from ramen noodle package
4 - 6 slices of bacon chopped.
1 package of ramen noodle (chicken flavor)

Crunch up the ramen noodles.
Mix together the oil, vinegar, sugar and ramen noodle spice mix or bullion.
Put crunched up noodles in the bottom of a glass mixing container
Pour in the oil/vinegar mix.
Add all ingredients on top(cole slaw, walnuts, onion, and bacon)
Let sit until the noodles are soft -> several hours
Mix and let sit again until flavors mix, salt and pepper to taste, serve.

Dave sent me a message

I'm so lucky to have David Mark want to be my friend! (I am being sarcastic.)

David sent you a message.

David MarkFebruary 18, 2011 at 11:07am Subject: Hi Whitmore Hi, How you doing today? hope you having a great day.anyway just wanted to let you know that i came across your profile and was stunned,deemed it fit that we get to know ourselves decided to write you something cool so we both can get to chat and know more about us,my heart skipped a bit for a slight second when i saw your profile and said to myself that knowing you would be great,you know you never can tell what the future holds in store for you unless you give it a try. This is my yahoo im (davidmark12355@yahoo.com) pls be as nice and kind as you seem to add me on there and also send me yours so we can talk more there and know more about us. Hope to hear from you soon,God bless Dave cares

Fire them today

     When teachers call in sick to go to a protest, or for any reason other than actually being sick,  they should be fired.  The teacher is defrauding and stealing from the taxpayers, and cheating their students. 

      When a teacher calls in "sick" the school district has to hire a substitute teacher and pay the teacher salary plus benefits.  This is fraud and theft.  It is fraud and theft of the taxpayers who are hiring them to teach, not to go to protests, but mostly they are defrauding and stealing from their students who rely on those teachers to be in the classroom everyday. 

     Research has show that the most important factor in student learning is the quality of the teacher in the classroom   A substitute is not an adequate replacement for a teacher. Any parent knows that when they ask their children what they did at school that day, sometimes the answer is "We had a sub."  That means; we didn't learn anything.  A sub can follow the lesson plan, but most kids know they are not held accountable for that day's learning. 
     
    How about a lesson in responsibility from the school district and the Union and calling all of these teachers up on disciplinary charges for theft.  These children will never get these days of learning back and that is the real shame in all of this.
  

Reference:  http://www.businessinsider.com/wisconsin-teacher-strike-2011-2

 

Chris Christie can't win

Chris Christie can't win the Presidential Election in 2012 because he can't win the Nomination.

• He is a short term governor of a small state
• He got only 6% in the CPAC straw poll.  Sure, you can say that doesn't mean anything because Ron Paul won the poll and we know Ron Paul can't win the nomination either, but Chris Christie didn't get higher than 6% in a poll of very conservative, active, involved, knowledgeable voters.
• Chris Christie porn is great for us conservatives who understand that we need to cut government unions and benefits but not for the average voter
• Americans love teachers and especially their teachers.  Put together a B-roll of him insulting a sweet gray haired teacher and the electorate will turn on him.
• He has done a lot of legislation but the results of his legislation are not clear yet. He has to be able to say, "Hey, we did this AND IT WORKED OR DIDN'T HURT US."  Right now he can't say that.
• He is from the East.  That didn't work all that well for Rudy Giuliani did it.
• He has an east coast attitude.  It's not bad, but sometimes that brash confidence does not play will with heartland voters.
• I couldn't find any polling on national name recognition for Chris Christie.  He has to win the primary and caucuses in states where people have never heard of him.

So, stop listening to the voices in your head and Ann Coulter (same thing).

Redeye fan fiction - Andy, Bill and Greg save CPAC - Chapter 1

How Redeye Saved CPAC

Chapter 1: Where Bill Uncovers a Plot and Meets the Girl of His Dreams 

     Bill tested the tiny balcony with his foot before slowing shifting more of his weight to the floor and climbing all the way out of the window. So, it's come to this, he thought, catching a smoke on a decorative balcony he wasn't really sure would hold his weight.  Bill turned his back to the wind.  His lighter sparked and ignited his cigarette, which he inhaled deeply. He had just leaned back against the window, leading to his cramped  hotel room, and closed his eyes when he heard two voices from the balcony below. The thought of other guests getting a smoke and violating the hotel wide smoking ban made him smile.

     "We are planning the shut down at 9:00 am Saturday just as Breitbart starts speaking," said a high clear voice from below.

     "Why not sooner?  That leaves all night tonight and all day Friday before we make our move."said a second voice, muffled by a mouth full of food.

     "Because, a lot of people don't show up until today and they could repair the problems before Saturday morning, and I want to get that bastard Breitbart.  If we do this right, the whole day will be shot.  Lights, heat, sound, fire extinguisher system.  They will have to empty the entire hotel."

     John's voice rose a little higher "If I shut down his speech this time, then no one would hire him again."  John wiped the sweat off of his upper lip.  He was sweating under his light jacket despite the cold weather and his closeness to Max on the tiny balcony.

     "Um, yeah, well, maybe, but no one is going to know it was you or why you did it, right? That's what you said."  Max pulled out a partially eaten beef jerky from his pants pocket and tore a piece off with a sideways gnawing motion. 

     "Don't worry, you won't be involved. How many of those are you going to eat?" John had gotten Max to come with him by promising to pay all the expenses and to buy him all the gas station treats he wanted.

     "I love beef jerky.  I'll eat as many as you buy me." Max stowed the partially eaten beef jerky back in his pants pocket as he turned to open the window. "Can we go back inside now?  I really don't think our room is bugged."


    "Yeah, but let's not say anything in the room just in case, " said John, climbing into the window after Max.

      Bill had gradually stopped smiling as he heard bits of the conversation below.  It was windy with blowing snow so he didn't hear all of it, but didn't want to lean over the wrought iron balcony railing to hear more.  Hearing the window opening below, he decided to take a peak and leaned over the side just in time to see bright blue slacks and black shoes with white socks pulled into the room while the window closed.

     Bill jumped as a loud rapping sound came from behind him on the window.  He turned as Andy opened it.
  
      "Found a place to smoke. Excellent.  Will it hold both of us?" said Andy as he squeezed into the space beside Bill, not waiting for an answer.

     "Give me a cigarette," Andy said, motioning to Bill's pack.

     "No. Get your own cigarettes. You hate it when people mooch cigarettes from you."

     "I know.  That's why I like Baptists and Mormons.  Although, the Baptists mooch cigarettes from me when they are by themselves, which is why I like Mormons more."

     Bill looked at Andy and really wanted to say, no.

    "Bill, give me a god damned cigarette, you know how cranky I get."  

     Bill knew.

     "Fine. Here." Bill waited for Andy to light up then said, "There were a couple of guys on the balcony just below us talking.  It sounded like they were going to do something to the convention center right before Breitbart goes on stage Saturday morning."

     "Like what?  Like a prank?"

     "No, not like a prank.  They called it 'a shut down'.  They sounded angry and disturbed, not prankish."

     "Whatever.  There are some jerks from Code Pink here and some other crazies.  They always want to disrupt.  Security can handle it." Andy returned to concentrating on smoking.

      Bill would have liked to talk about anything just to keep his mind off the wind and the cold, but Andy was, as usual, deep in thought about something.  It was a gamble to start any conversation with Andy.  He could start talking about sports, something Bill understood and was interested in, or the cultural and political significance of super hero characters in the 20th century; not something Bill was interested in. Bill didn't want to listen to whatever esoterica Andy might come up with.

     "Done?" said Bill as Andy finished his cigarette and put it out on the banister

     "Yeah, let's go. I'm going to the bar. One of the waitresses looked totally hot." said Andy throwing his butt on the floor of the balcony and working his 5' 11" frame through the small window. 

     "Why did you do that?" said Bill, picking up the butt. "Go get me the trash can, will you? I hate cleaning up after you. And, did you ever think about asking a woman out for an actual date?"

     "God, that is so much trouble later."

     "Wait a minute.  How did you get in here anyway?" said Bill closing the window.

     "I knocked.  Your door wasn't latched.  It just came open when I knocked."

     "Something else to talk to the front desk about."

     Bill checked the latch as he left the room and tested the door before he joined Andy at the elevator.  
     The elevator stopped at the floor just below and two men got on.  Bill recognized the pants color immediately as the same color from the balcony below his.  Andy was not paying attention to the men but was busy examining his bald spot in the mirrored ceiling tiles.  He gave a grunt and looked at Bill, grimacing and pointing to his head.  One of the men heard the grunt and looked around.  The man was munching on a beef jerky and had several more flopping from the top shirt pocket.  Bill's eyes were drawn to the shirt pocket logo which had the word "security" stitched on it.  The two men got off on the second floor, mezzanine level.

     Bill turned to Andy and said, "That was the color of pants that the people wore on the balcony below me when they were talking about the 'shut down'."  Bill made air quotes.  "They work for security!"

    Andy was still looking at the top of his head in the mirror tile ceiling of the elevator.  "Bill, it could have been any pants."

     "No way it could have been that color blue.  That is a unique color blue. No one wears that color blue." Andy gave Bill a disbelieving look.  "Ok, ok, maybe I have worn that color blue, but not on a pant." said Bill. "Would you call that a royal blue?"

     "No, it was more of a dress blue." said Andy.

     "Dress blue, what is dress blue?  No one knows what dress blue would be like." said Bill.

     "They would if they were a real American." said Andy.  "But if you insist, you can call it a dark periwinkle."

     "Dark periwinkle? Really?" said Bill, shaking his head.

     The elevator doors opened at the first floor.  Andy headed for the bar next to the Atrium foyer while Bill went toward the front desk.

     Bill was confused about what to do next; tell the front desk what exactly?  That he heard some people say some stuff on a balcony who may or may not work for security.  This was not going to be fun, it will take up a lot of drinking time and would probably make him look stupid.  Bill was already bored by the time he reached the counter.  He became much less bored when the counter attendant lifted her head from the computer screen.

     "Hi, my name is Bill."  He smiled his suave smile.  "How are you doing?" Bill leaned over the counter a little.  "Your name is?"

     "Elana."  she said.

      Bill saw her mouth moving but didn't really hear what she said.  She had olive colored skin, light eyes and dark brown hair falling in waves to her shoulders.  Her mouth was moving again and Bill tried to concentrate.  "What can I help you with, sir?" she said. 

      "Yes, I have a couple of things.  My friend told me the latch on my room wasn't closed when he knocked on the door."  As soon as he said it, he realized how lame that sounded.  "I mean, uh, that's no big deal but it would be nice if someone looked at it anyway."  Elana's shoulders sagged a little as she moved officiously to the computer screen.  "But that is not really what I wanted to talk to someone about.  In fact, just forget about that.  I wanted to talk to someone about a conversation I heard on the balcony." 

     Elana looked at Bill, somewhat blankly.  She was waiting for the obligatory, "when are you off work," comment, but she was not going to get involved with someone she met at work. Again.  "Ok, what balcony.? What happened?"

     Bill leaned closer to Elana over the marble topped counter and lowered his voice so he wouldn't be overheard by the other people in the lobby. "Well, I was on my balcony, room 568,  and I overheard some people below me.  It sounded as if they were planning some prank or something before the Breitbart speech on Saturday morning.  They seemed like they were serious about it.  I caught site of a bright blue pant leg when I looked down and I think it was the same color as your security uniforms here at the hotel."
 
     "So you're saying that you think some security guards were on the balcony below you and they were planning some kind of prank before a speech? For who?"

      "Breitbart.  He is one of the first speakers on Saturday morning for the CPAC conference, in the main ballroom. It seemed more serious than a prank."  Bill looked at her and realized there was no way Elana was going to go out with him and he really wanted to join Andy in the bar. 

     "So who were these guys and how do you know they were security?"  said Elana.  Elana began fake typing into the computer.  She looked down occasionally to make it look good. 

     Bill told her about the men on the elevator and their uniforms.  "I think you could call the color dark periwinkle, it was distinctive." Bill said smiling.

     "Mmmm. I have no idea what dark periwinkle would look like, but just stay here for a second, I have to check on something."  Elana went to a more private phone at the back of the counter area and made a phone call.  She considered faking the phone call too but decided that since he had come up with the color "dark periwinkle" she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

    As Elana, walked away to make the phone call, Bill tired to find a neutral spot to look. He looked at her back then deciding that would be creepy, looked down, then at the ceiling.  He was saved from embarrassment by a fan asking him for a picture.  He quickly got the picture taken and turned around just in time for Elana to see the fan walk away: he felt his stock rising.

      "Well," Elana said, returning to the front desk and watching the fan walk away giggling at her cell phone picture, "I talked to the security manager on shift and he said there shouldn't have been security guards on that floor.  Usually they don't go up to the rooms at this time of day unless they are called.  They should definitely not have been on a balcony. Where did you say these guys went?" 

     "Oh, thank God." Bill said relieved. "They got off on the second floor."  He couldn't wait to be rid of this problem and get back to  what he had come here for: meet his friends, have some drinks, talk to some new people. "If you need me, I will be in the bar and you know my room number. Um, that is I will be at the bar for a while, not all the time...just having a drink or two..."  

     "Yes, I have your room number, Mr. Schultz. And, I notice that you don't actually have a room with a balcony," said Elana. Bill looked down at the counter and started to form a word when Elana cut him off.  "Never mind, I will contact you if we need more information.  You will be able to identify them?"

     "Yes, and I will be able to identify the smell too.  I hate the smell of beef jerky."  Bill could feel his stomach contracting slightly as he thought of the smell.

     Bill turned to go and then turned back to the desk, "One more thing...would you be willing to go..."

     "No." Elana, said without looking up.

     "OK."  Said Bill, and headed toward the bar.

      Bill was dodging CPAC convention goers as he walked from the hotel desk to the bar.  He took several more pictures with fans as he went and occasionally turned to see if Elana was watching. She wasn't. It took him about 15 minutes to get from the lobby desk to the main atrium when he heard his name being called from the top of the escalator.  He looked up to see his boss, Greg Gutfeld.  But what caught Bill's eye was not Greg, but Max, the Beef Jerky man, strolling from right to left on the mezzanine.  He was talking on a walky-talky and then looked down over the railing  to another man on the ground floor.  The man on the ground floor was not dressed in a uniform, as Bill expected, but in a normal suit. The men nodded to each other as they signed off the walkies and then went in opposite directions.

Zucchini Cheese Soup

This recipe is from my neighbor who has 7 kids.  Every time I have been in her house, it is immaculate.  Her kids are always well dressed and clean and she is beautiful.  I envied her and now she gave me this fantastic recipe.  Is there no justice.

Zucchini Cheese Soup
Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
1 medium white onion
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups water with 3 bouillon cubes or 3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice or the juice of one lemon
1 can diced tomatoes drained, or 2-3 tomatoes
1 can evaporated milk
1 can corn (not creamed)
1 cup parmesian cheese
2 cups shredded chedder cheese

Prepare

• Warm up a a soup pot
• Chop the zucchini into bite size pieces
• Peel the onion and cut in half but don't chop off one end.  You are not going to chop the onion but will just let it soak in the soup so it can be taken out later, so make sure one end remains attached
• Prepare the 3 cups of chicken bouillon
• Chop up 2-3 tomatoes
• Drain corn
• Shred cheese

Cook

Melt the butter in the soup pot.  After the butter is completely melted, use a whisk while adding the flour in the 4 different batches.  Whisk enough to ensure that no lumps form.  After the flour is mixed,  pour in bouillon in a thin stream and whisk continuously to make sure no lumps form.  Stir mixture until it is as thick as cream then stir in all the other ingredients.   Add the two halves of the onion but do not let the onion falls apart.  Let simmer on low heat until the vegetables are soft.  When ready to serve, remove the onion halves.

Makes about 5-6 cups of soup.

I have not tried to freeze this recipe, but I don't think it will freeze well because of the cheese and the fresh vegetables.

RedEye Fan Fiction - Greg, Andy and Bill Save CPAC - Chapter 3

Chapter x: 

     Andy was nursing his beer because he had to meet people for dinner later and he had not had a lot to drink lately because of his prescription pain killers.  Three months ago, he would have been drunk by now. He watched the waitress serve other patrons.  She was so incredibly hot, and so incredibly stupid.  One conversation and he was completely turned off.  She had no idea what CPAC was, didn't have any idea what a conservative was, and had never voted, ever.  It wasn't a problem that she didn't know it was her complete lack of interest in knowing.  Andy had trouble contemplating what these people thought about.  What went on in their minds, he wondered?  He wanted her but frankly it was way too much work just to decide what to talk to her about.  Every moment he talked to her made his soul smaller and blacker.

RedEye Fan Fiction - Greg, Bill and Andy Save CPAC - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

     "The problem," said John as they left the elevator, "is that the building is old it was built in various stages, so we can't just take it out in one place. We have to go after at least several of the main power lines in the building. But I don't know which ones go to the main ball room audio/visual room so we are going to trace it back from there. I also want to make sure that the power is out to the other building where most of the guest hotel rooms are and see if we can shut down the water too." 
     "How are you going to shut down the water?  Water is usually all controlled through gravity and water pressure, it's not like there are electric pumps or anything."  Max said.
     "I know.  It may not be possible to do it.  I will have to see."  John didn't think Max had that kind of knowledge about buildings.  He would have to be more careful about what he said in the future.  "You don't want to know all my plans right?  We have to keep things separate in case one of us gets caught."
      They made their way past a row of small conference rooms, to the service hallway leading to the media center that controlled the sound and visuals in the main Marriott Ballroom.  The door was closed and locked.  They knocked but no one answered.
     "So, what now?" said Max.
     "So, we have to break down the door, or get a key or wait until someone comes to open the door so we can get in." John paused wiping more sweat off his lip and forehead.  He realized sweat stains were starting to form under his jacket arm pits too. "Max, can you go get soda for me and get something for yourself too.  I need to think about this."
     "Sure. Money?" said Max.

     John handed over a $20 bill, happy to be rid of Max, while he figured out what to do next.  In John's mind it had all gone so smoothly.  It would have been like a scene in a spy movie where a man was entering or leaving the room just as John wanted to go in.  Then he would make some excuse for why security needed to be in the room, meanwhile stealthily stealing a key card to be allowed in later.  Getting the security uniforms had been hard work and John's heart had pounded when he went into the locker room to get the ones he needed. 
     He decided to wait a little while and see if someone would eventually go into the room.  He went to an alcove with a clear view of the hallway so he could monitor the entrance to the audio/visual room.  The hallway didn't get a lot of traffic, so he could relax and not worry about being questioned.
     Max could not wait until he was out of sight to get on his walkie-talkie.  He pulled it off his belt and called Mike, his partner.  "Where are you? I need a key.  Yes, the room is locked and there is no one in there, and we have to get in.  Who knows?  He doesn't know."  He had reached the mezzanine and looked over to see his partner on the main floor below.  "Yes, 15 minutes.  I have to buy some drinks.  Meet me in the Pub. Not the bar."  Max went down the escalator and walked to the Pub.  He had to walk past one of the guys from the elevator who was looking at him in a strange way. Max really hoped the guy was not going to proposition him.  He hated that. 
     He went into the Pub and ordered a coffee and coke to go.  He had learned exactly what John liked and disliked on the way to the hotel.  It had been an 12 hour trip that would have taken him 9 hours if he had been alone.  John liked to drink a lot of coke and seemed to have a bladder the size of a squirrel.  It had been a long tedious trip listening to John rant about Brietbart while Max egged him on. It had been one of the least tasteful parts of this mission.  Max had been managing John for 6 months and had never managed to be amused by the process.  John was almost too smart so Max had to be constantly on his guard, but John was the person who had been there when Max needed someone, so it had to be done.
     Max took his drinks to a booth to wait for Mike.
     "So, how is he holding up," said Mike as he handed over the key and slid into the booth. 
     "Ok, I guess. You should have seen him sweating when he came back with the uniforms.  He almost tried to put on mine." Max grinned a crooked smile as he remembered practically having to wrestle the smaller uniform out of John's hand.  "Then he made me climb out onto the balcony to talk because he thought the rooms might be bugged." said Max.  "If he baulks, I will just drug him and put him in position. Although that is not going to be easy with all the people.  I may need your help.  Jesus, there are a lot of people here. I thought this hotel would be bigger, but it is small compared to the number of people attending this conference."
     "Yeah, it's crowded but when it comes down to it, that is going to help us," said Mike.
     "How is it going on your end?"
     "Good, I have everything working.  I met with everyone this morning.  All on schedule."
     "Ok, I guess I have to get back to John, I will be back in touch at the regular interval." said Max sliding out of the booth.  "Aren't you coming?"
     "I am going to stay and have a drink," said Mike.  "A beer," he added noticing Max's disapproving face.  
      Max forced a smile on his face and said, "Mike, this is my last payday, and it's a big one.  If you fuck this up for me, I swear I will kill you. Ok, buddy?"
      "I got it, Max.  Don't worry.  You know I can handle it."
     Meanwhile, John was practicing some deep breathing exercises as he waited in the alcove.  He was sweating less but his stomach felt sour, which meant his breath would be awful.  He didn't have any tums with him, he would have to go to the hotel lobby gift shop to see if they had any.
     Finally Max entered the hallway and John got his attention from the alcove. "I have to go get some Tums from downstairs." John said, trying to direct his breath down into his coat jacket. "I will be right back.  Keep and eye on the door and let me know if anyone comes or goes."
     "Hey, want the drink?" said Max. 
     "Ok, right. Sorry." said John, blushing a little. "Can I have my change?"  
     "Sure, here." said Max. He handed over the money.  John was not making eye contact because he seemed to be breathing down his jacket front. Max was starting to get worried.
      When John left, Max opened the audio/visual room with his key from Mike. The best part of the room was the window to the ballroom two floors below.  This is where Max would direct the teams who would capture their target.
    

Homemade Thin Mints

Homemade Thin Mints
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1/4 tsp of salt
1 cup of white sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of mint extract
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
3 squares of semisweet chocolate (chopped)
1/4 cup of butter
Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the sugar and softened butter until the mixture is creamy, then beat in the egg and add the mint extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
At this point, my friends and I deviated from the online recipe. The recipe directed us to refrigerate the dough for about five hours. We had no such time, so we left it in for about 40 minutes while we watched an episode of Jersey Shore online. Perhaps this is the reason our cookies did not taste exactly like Girl Scout cookies.
Roll out the dough until it's 1/4 of an inch thick. Use a round cookie-cutter to form the cookies, then toss them in the oven for about 12 minutes. When the cookies are baked, melt 1/4 of a cup of butter (or about half of a stick) together with the chocolate in the microwave or on the stovetop. Dip the cookies in the melted mixture and set them on wax paper until the chocolate hardens.
This recipe makes about four dozen cookies.