2015 archive
Hungarian Spiced Stir-Fry Bean Curd* and Vegetables 0
Ingredients:
1 14-oz. pkg. extra firm bean curd, cut into small pieces (approx. 1/2-3/4 inch)
4 oz. (approx.) snow peas, stringed
8 medium mushrooms, quartered
1 stalk celery, sliced (no, not lengthwise)
1 Bell pepper, coarsely chopped (approx. 1/4-1/2 inch)
4 scallions, chopped
Spices of choice to taste. I used approximately
- 1 tbs. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. garlic powder (I was out of fresh garlic, or I’d have minced some up)
- 1 tsp. basil
- 2 tbs. Red Gold Hungarian mild paprika sauce, available from Otto’s Hungarian Deli
- 2 tsp. pepper, freshly ground preferable
Procedure:
1. Prepare ingredients. Placing them separately in little bowls or saucers makes adding them easier, as they are not added all at once. They will be added in a sequence from slowest to fastest to cook.
2. Hear wok or skillet over medium heat until drops of water quickly bead up and evaporate. Add oil (use an oil that is tolerant of higher cooking temperatures, such as grapeseed or rapeseed–er–canola oil).
3. Add one-third or one-half the spices (see the note in item 4.) and allow to cook for a few seconds while stirring.
4. Add bean curd (note: do not add more than will form just one layer–you may to cook it in shifts). Cook until it starts to brown, then reserve it in a warm oven. Repeat as necessary to finish all the bean curd, refreshing the oil and spices before cooking the each batch.
5. Once the bean curd is done and reserved, refresh the oil and spices, then add the scallions, stirring them for three or four minutes.
6. Add the pepper and celery and cook for three or four minutes.
7. Repeat for the mushrooms, then for the snow peas.
8. Add the bean curd and cook, stirring, until it’s thoroughly reheated. Serve over rice.
Serves four.
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*Tofu is nothing more than social-climbing bean curd.
Q. Who Can’t Handle the Truth? 0
A. Republicans.
The War on History 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear analyzes Republican attempts to ban factual history in Oklahoma and other places. A snippet (emphasis added):
There is a very powerful segment of society that relies on the masses being ignorant of a broader, more historical perspective on the present.
Do read the rest.
“Academic Freedom” 0
On the chopping block in North Carolina.
One more time: Republicanism is counter-factual, so Republicans fear encountering facts.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
To quote the Jefferson Airplane, politeness “leaves you no, no place to hide.”
“Two other people in the house were handling a firearm that accidentally discharged, and (the bullet) went through a wall and struck her in the upper left chest,” Wells said.
And another gun that fires itself. . . .
The stupid. It burns.
Ignoring the Oscars 0
I have no interest in watching Hollywood play with itself.
Indeed, that goes for all the entertainment “awards” shows. They are wankery of the highest order.
“Tie Me Wallaby Down, Sport, Tie Me Wallaby Down” 0
My local rag reports that Norfolk’s “Virginia Zoo” has not been a good place for wallabies to be.
(If you wonder why I have a print subscription to my local rag, this story illustrates why. We need local newspapers, and local newspapers need our support. Plus, my local rag is a good local rag. It’s not perfect, but it’s still my local rag.)
Full Disclosure:
I have not visited Norfolk’s “Virginia Zoo.” The older I get, the less I am fascinated by animals in cages.
A Little Off the Top 0
This has to be one of the more bizarre brouhahas in baseball:
U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall ruled that the “vague possibility” that installing the signs could affect rooftop businesses wasn’t enough to grant a temporary restraining order. The ruling means the Cubs will avoid a setback as they renovate the historic ballpark.
In Pursuit of Ignorance 0
The start of Bob Cesca’s headline pretty much sums it up:
Republicans in Oklahoma Seek to Replace History Classes with GOP Speeches . . . .
The why is simple. Republicanism is counter-factual, so Republicans fear encountering facts.
Details at the link.
Dogging It 0
I’m so old that I can remember when a dog was just a dog.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
The polite do not discriminate. A target is a target.
Christian H. Smith, 48, of Phelps, and Glenn R. Gosson, 47, of Fairport, accidentally shot the horses while coyote hunting on a property on Moore Road in the town of West Sparta on Jan. 24, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Because horses and coyotes are hard to distinguish when viewed through a gun sight . . . .
Signs of the Times 0
Steven M. savages wingnuts’ compulsion to hurl feces at those with whom they differ.