Random Thoughts, Part I

There is a big trend on Facebook to list 25 random things about yourself. In that spirit, I include a few random thoughts of my own:

1. Another reason to be a Democrat: free pass on tax cheating (e.g., Tom Daschle and that other guy nominated to head the Treasury department). It looks like Obama can't find an honest Democrat and has had to start looking on the Republican side for cabinet members.

2. Maybe, instead of borrowing money just to give it away, in an effort to stimulate the economy, we could just pass some great big tax cuts, especially on corporations and stocks, then borrow whatever shortfall we end up with. I'll bet it won't approach ONE TRILLION DOLLARS.

3. I just laughed at a guy whose cell phone went off in class, only to have mine go off shortly thereafter.

4. My sweetheart cheered for Arizona because they wore red, and she likes red. I think that was pretty cool, since I was cheering for Arizona, too. I thought it was because I liked Kurt Warner, but I think it was because they were wearing red... and I like red.

5. I was disappointed at the umpiring during the Super Bowl. Harrison got his 100 yard touchdown with the aid of an uncalled holding.

6. I was hoping for a Cardinals win, but either team deserved it. They both played well. It was a great second half.

7. My wife is into sewing now. She is really picking it up fast and making some really cool things. She does a great job. I love watching her. It reminds me of when I used to watch my mom, only my mom would take up every available space and would stretch out the project for weeks on end.

8. While I hope that Obama becomes a good president, I hope that he fails with his ideas as they now stand and as they were promised during his election. He can be a good president by paying more attention to practical and conservative ideas.

9. I wish Republicans would pull their heads out and stand on their principles and quit worrying about re-election.

King Obama Day

So what did you do for our illustrious leader on King-Obama Day?

As if getting out of school and work wasn't honor enough for the memory of MLKing, Obama has decided that it should be a day of service! The great one has spoken, and the media outlets jumped. They told me that I should dedicate the day before the Great Inauguration to serving those less fortunate than myself. Apparently, from the great long list of organizations in need of service, that would be just about everybody... except me. Who knew I was so fortunate.

Now, I realize that I am about to commit heresy, but I could have sworn that MLK's day was already about service.

Sorry, I didn't mean no disrespect to King-O! I just was trying to point out that we seem to overlook His Honorableship's tendency to reinvent the wheel. When he comes up with an idea, it's as if no one had ever thought of it before. I mean, what about when he is caught putting... get this... peanut butter on jelly? Won't the media have a hayday with that one. Oprah will introduce that KC restaurant that serves peanut butter and jelly. The Food Network will run a special on the history of that long-forgotten treat we once enjoyed. Peanut butter, we will be reminded, was invented by George Washington Carver, while jelly, although brought over by the Pilgrims, was never paired with it until the King (Obama, not Elvis) was in a hurry between an environmental summit and an appointment with Bill Ayers, and asked the White House chef for something sweet and salty. Unfortunately, the kitchen was out of whole wheat bread and alfalfa sprouts, so he just grabbed whatever was closest and threw it together.

I digress.

Happy King-Obama Day!

The Smoky Mountain

Another successful samoke! No ribs this time... those can add up pretty quickly. Instead, I smoked five pounds of pork tenderloin, three large stuffed fatties, and 28 mice. Everything was perfect! I shredded the tenderloin and added the liquid it had braised in for its last hour of tempering. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth goodness!

I found a great finger food: the stuffed fatty. It's pretty simple really. I flatten out a roll of Jimmy Dean Hot sausage (this will go a whole lot easier if done on a sheet of waxed paper), add a bead of cream cheese the length of the fatty, then top it with various things, like mozzarella, cheddar, peppers, onions, sauces, bacon, pepperoni... just whatever sounds good together. My boss had given me a large jar of home pickled peppers! (Best I've ever had) So I laid those out over the cream cheese, added some large sauteed onions, cheddar and mozzarella. Then I rolled those up, sealed the outer sausage up real good, and set them in the smoker until they reached 170 (approx 3-4 hours, if you can keep the cooking temp around 225-260). Then let them set for a little while, and slice them up. Aaaahhhhhhh.... droooooooool. The only problem with them is that they go almost as fast as the smoked mice.

Put all these together with a side of baked mac and cheese, corn, a salad, and some bread, and you've got yourself a pretty good meal.

Now, what to do with those leftovers...

(Special thanks in advance to Paula Deen for the inpiration)
In a sauce pan, heat a can of drained black beans, a can of drained red beans, a small (or large, or medium) can of green chilies, a half a can of stewed tomatoes, kosher salt and pepper (not kosher). Simmer until all the fluid is gone, then smash them all together into a paste. (If I had a food processor, I would see if I could do it in that.)

On a tostada shell (which I made using my brand new... and now often used... deep fryer), spread a scoop of beans, then pulled pork, tomatoes, sour cream, and maybe cheese. We didn't have any lettuce or guaco, or we would have added those, as well. (I'll bet those pickled peppers would have been good. Too bad I used the last of them on my stuffed fatty.)

Flavorful pile of smoked goodness, I dub thee:
"The Smoky Mountain".

Enjoy! And remember: if you still smell clean by dinner time... you probably bought it at a rib joint!