Saturday, May 30, 2015

"The Boys Won't Be the Same"

And that's all I can say without giving away the punchline. It's only 100 seconds and worth every one, right here.

Friday, May 29, 2015

The Thought For Today

""Look closely at Central America, and try to imagine what would happen if this vital region were to fall into Communist hands. What would happen is a lot of Communists would be stung repeatedly by vicious tropical insects the size of mature hamsters." - Dave Barry

Thursday, May 28, 2015

The Thought For Today

"We're all kissed by angels but some of us never think to pucker." - Terri Guillemets

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Rec: Helluva Good Veggie Sandwich For One

1 croissant, sliced lengthwise
2 ozs cream cheese
1/4 of an avocado, sliced thin
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon raisins
2 tablespoons carrots, shredded
1/4 of a green apple, sliced


Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of the croissant.
Arrange the sliced avacado over the cream cheese.
Top with all the other ingredients. Enjoy.

Rec: Frankie's Turkey Meatloaf

1/2 pound ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 cup salsa
1/8 cup green olives (well-drained)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs or saltines
lemon pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl combine the turkey, egg, salsa, onion,
bread crumbs and lemon pepper. Mix well with hands
until blended. Press mixture into a loaf pan. Bake in
the preheated oven for 25 minutes.


Serves 2 to 4
Refrigerate remainder
Can be reheated in microwave

Rec: Frankie's Bratwurst With Curry Sauce

A tasty simple dish I modified from my time in Germany is
the Bratwurst with curry sauce. With a little experimentation,
I think I’ve got it. Buy your bratwurst and broil it like you
usually do in the oven or on the grill. While it’s cooking,
get your cheap ketchup – any kind will do, put about ½
cup of ketchup with two tablespoons of water, and add a
teaspoon of curry powder. Stir or shake vigorously. Add
a half-teaspoon of Worcestershire to the mix, again stir or
shake vigorously. Add the sauce to the bratwurst, on a
plate, in a sandwich, in a bun – your choice. Great with
fresh French fries.

Enjoy

Rec: Frankie's Breads

Make your own interesting bread sticks or flat breads.
Yes, they sell bread sticks in the pop-n-fresh section,
but you can do it with the generic cheap-o pop-n-fresh
biscuits found in any grocery store at a fraction of the price.
You need ½ cup regular flour, 1 tablespoon garlic salt,
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, mix together and evenly and
thinly spread over a wax papered flat surface.


Okay. Now, open your pop-n-fresh generic biscuits
(usually 10 in a cylinder). Stretch each biscuit into a
long form or stretch it out thinner and roll and flip it
in the mix. Do each biscuit – you don’t want too much
flour, just enough to stiffen the dough. Lay the biscuit
on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with Pam or other spray
oil. Sprinkle extra Parmesan or garlic powder if you like.


Bake at 400 degrees F (or at the temp on the package if
different) or until golden brown.

Remove from heat. Let cool 10 minutes (if you can
restrain yourself that long) and enjoy.

Great with spaghetti, lasagna, egg plant parmesan.

Rec: Frankie's Spinach Pie

You will need 1) puff pastry sheets package or 2 pie shells,
2) fresh bag of spinach (the kind with shredded carrots is
okay), 3) one red onion (tastes better, but any kind of onion
will do), 4) shredded Mozzarella cheese, 5) crumbled Feta
Cheese, 6) olive oil, 7) garlic powder (not garlic salt), 8) a
little basil is optional.

Puff pastry sheets, available in Publix frozen dessert section,
make the best crust. There are two sheets of pastry per box.
Use both.

Defrost and pre-heat pastry sheets per the directions on the
box. Bake the bottom pastry sheet until it puffs up nice and
light brown, watch the pastry carefully because it cooks really
fast. Remove from the oven.

On the baked pastry sheet, lay down an fairly thick layer of
spinach leaves, covering all of the pastry sheet. Sprinkle it
lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with basil leaves (if desirable).
Put a layer of THINLY sliced onions. Go easy on the onion;
you don’t want to wipe out the spinach flavor. The onion adds
a bit of tang, it shouldn’t obliterate. Now, sprinkle Feta cheese
crumbles over the spinach and onion. Go light; Feta is very
salty. Now sprinkle the shredded Mozzarella.

Lay down another layer of spinach leaves, olive oil sprinkles,
basil, onion, Feta, Mozzarella as described above.

You’re building flavor layers. Spinach is the main flavor, onion,
Feta, olive oil, basil leaves, garlic powder are the enhancers.
Mozzarella is the glue that holds the pie together, so you want
enough that it will make things stick together, but you don’t
want a great clumpy mass. Good spinach pie can be eaten hot
or cold, so you’re trying to avoid making a congealed mass of
Mozzarella later.

Make as many complete layers of these ingredients as you like.
I usually stop at three. Sometimes I add sliced mushrooms or
thinly sliced green tomatoes as well.

Cover the center concoction with the second puff pastry
sheet. You don’t need to pinch the edges together on the
sheets, just push it down around the edges. Put in the oven
at 400 degrees F. Make sure you keep an eye on it as it bakes,
usually less than fifteen minutes. Remove when the pastry
is golden brown. Let it cool. Eat it warm or cold.

This is a popular dish for office parties…you can save yourself
clean up time by using the throwaway baking pans. Good
healthy stuff and a tasty way to get veggies into your diet. Enjoy.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

A Water-Powered Jetpack | Popular Science

A Water-Powered Jetpack Popular Science


WHOOT! That looks like FUN! Now if I can only win the lottery so that I can afford it.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Etch-A-Sketch Masterpieces

No kidding, this artist renders his versions of masterpieces with an Etch-A-Sketch. He also sketches buildings such as the Taj Mahal, photographic images and even playing cards. Mona Lisa anyone?

Thursday, May 14, 2015

ReallyReady.org: A Project of the Federation of American Scientists

eallyReady.org: A Project of the Federation of American Scientists

Hurricane season is almost here. Are you ready? Water, food, batteries, a bit of cash and whatever prescription drugs you need. And the most important thing of all - TOILET PAPER! Now's the time to be hitting Sam's/BJ's/Wally World and stock up. And this Site will give you the basics.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Hard Truth From Orlando

And another story that grits. The 15-year-old girl with autism who got kicked off the plane. Maybe the pilot & crew did over-react and maybe the steward could have nuked the damn sandwich so the kid would eat it. I would have nuked it for the little twit just to shut her up.
But having a kid who pitches a fit because her sandwich isn’t hot enough is not the problem of everyone else. Yes, the child has a disability. But guess what? The whole world doesn’t have to cater to her and that’s something the FAMILY needs to recognize. It’s become epidemic. My child has a problem, everybody has to make allowances for them, everybody has to suffer their tantrums when they don’t get their way.
No, we don’t. You have to do everything in YOUR power to make sure your kid conforms to societal norms. You have to do everything in YOUR power to make sure your kid doesn’t hamper anyone else in the performance of their duties or that YOUR kid doesn’t create an emergency or get in the way during an emergency.
That’s not society’s job. That’s the PARENT’S job.
Frankly, I hope the child is sufficiently comprehensive to BE embarrassed, but she won’t be. Her mom is going to make her a victim and not a responsible human being. Wish the little idiot luck when Mommy is not there to hold her hand and make the bad people all kiss her self-inflicted boo-boos.
 
   Florida Cracker

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Rec: Pickled Ginger

2 cups rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 small red beet, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon white peppercorns
2 Thai bird chiles
2 cups ginger slices, peeled (1/8-inch thick)



Combine everything but ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add ginger and turn heat down to a simmer for 1/2 an hour. Pull off heat and let stand until cool, about 1 hour. Place in jar and refrigerate overnight. Will keep for 1 month.

Rec: Crockpot Wild Rice Casserole

1 1/2 cup uncooked long-grained rice
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4 cups water
1 bunch green onions, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon snipped parsley


Combine all ingredients in lightly greased (Pam'd)
crockpot. Cover, cook on HIGH 2 1/2 hours, stirring
occasionally. Stir in parsley just before serving.


Serves 4 to 6
Refrigerate remainder
Can be reheated in microwave

Monday, May 11, 2015

Home Security Systems

Wish that you could afford a decent home security system, but they're out of your price range? Maybe you should fake it! Worth a shot at these prices.

Saturday, May 09, 2015

Abraham Lincoln and Assault Weapons

From Outdoor Life--

Couldn't have said it better myself....

Friday, May 08, 2015

It's Okay to Be Eaten First

But before that happens, please read the text that accompanies this cartoon, particularly that below it.

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

Church Sign Generator

Church Sign Generator

Now you can make a personalized church sign to say ALL kinds of nasty things about your friends. Of course they may not remain your friends for long. Or you can praise them to HIGH HEAVENS. Your choice. Have fun.

Monday, May 04, 2015

McSweeney's Internet Tendency

McSweeney's Internet Tendency.

Another McSite just chock-full of good (if slightly strange) reading that you'll need to check on every couple of days.

Saturday, May 02, 2015

History of Comics Blog

This blog, by Door Tree, is well worth a look by comics fans interested in the history of comics and anyone who would like a peek at some really old material. His alternate site also is interesting, with lots of old photographs and postcards.

Friday, May 01, 2015

The Thought For Today

"The teacher should make a concerted effort never to lose his temper in the presence of the class. If a man, he may take refuge in profane soliloquies. If a woman, she may follow the example of one sweet-faced tranquil girl who went out in the yard and gnawed a post." - William Lyon Phelps