Suggested Reading List - Round One

I know, this took far too long, and it's not even as complete as promised. I will endeavour to put some context around each of these books in the coming days, but at the very least I owed it to my readers to get something other than a recipe up here. (Still, go back and get that swordfish recipe - it really was that delicious!)

At any rate, here is the initial batch of books for your Summer Reading consideration:

• A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr.
• A Rune With A View - Charlie van Becelaere
• All Hallows Eve - Charles Williams
• An Adventure With Guerrillas - Ethelbirt Crouse (non-fiction)
• Animal Farm - George Orwell
• Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller (non-fiction)
• Bytes Akimbo - Cybersleuth - Charlie van Becelaere
• Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout - Patrick Albert Moore (non-fiction)
• Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler
• Descent into Hell - Charles Williams
• Doc Sidhe - Aaron Allston
• Many Dimensions - Charles Williams
• On the Road - Jack Kerouac
• Shadows of Ecstasy - Charles Williams
• That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis
• The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis (non-fiction)
• The City and the City - China Miéville
• The Firebird Trilogy - Kathy Tyers (Firebird, Fusion Fire, Crown of Fire)
• The Golden Man - Philip K. Dick (a collection of short stories)
• The Greater Trumps - Charles Williams
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
• The Müller-Fokker Effect - John Sladek
• The Place of the Lion - Charles Williams
• The Soil is Dead - Mitch Rycus
• The Unheavenly City, Revisited - Edward Banfield (non-fiction)
• The Year of Living Biblically - AJ Jacobs (non-fiction)
• Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt
• Turn Right at Machu Picchu - Mark Adams (non-fiction)
• War in Heaven - Charles Williams

That's it for now, but I really do intend to get back here and put some commentary around these books.

Enjoy!

Carnage du Jour - 27 June 2013

I blame the Olive Garden commercial - or perhaps rather I ought to give it some credit.

Let me explain.
We were doing some research on YouTube (hey, I'm not kidding here) when an Olive Garden commercial played, showing me this wonderful dish of shrimp and asparagus.
I said to Patrick, "Man, I hope I have some shrimp at home; that looks really good. At least I know I have some asparagus."

Well, I didn't have any shrimp, but I did have a nice swordfish steak waiting to be cooked. Oh, and I did have the asparagus, so we're well on the way.

But how to cook the swordfish?
How about a blast from the past, adapted to a different protein? Swordfish Liègeois!

This is based on a recipe from the 60 Minute Gourmet cookbook that I've had for nearly thirty years now. Originally a pork chop dish with a nice smear on top made of egg yolk, Dijon mustard, and shredded cheese, it would seem a natural for even another white meat. And so it was.

Good grief this was delicious.
In my grill pan I got nice marks (at 85 degrees apart or so) on each side, after brushing the fish with a bit of oil and sprinkling on a few poppy seeds.
As the second side's second marks were being made, I smeared on my mixture of an egg yolk, a couple tablespoons of Dijon, a teaspoon or so of white wine vinegar, some summer savory, and a few tablespoons of shredded Asiago cheese.
Then under the broiler it went until it got a beautiful brown crust across most of it.

While that was happening, I had simply reheated some leftover asparagus from a couple nights before, and made a big of pasta that got sauced with some lemon, some diced tomatoes with olive oil and garlic, and a bit of blue cheese dressing for creaminess and even more tang.

Again, this was a delicious repast, and I both blame and thank the Olive Garden for how much we ended up eating.

Enjoy!

RIP Slim Whitman

It's hard to believe, but if it weren't for the wonders of recorded sound, we'd be sitting ducks for a Martian invasion.
Yes, Slim Whitman, he of "Rosemarie" fame, has shuffled off this mortal coil.

Despite the mockery of comments such as "he's very popular in Europe," Slim Whitman actually had a few big hits Stateside, and his unique style will be missed.

Reading Really Is Fundamental

Yes, I know I neglected to capitalize the U and the N, but that's because I really want to make the point that it's more than fun, it really is fundamental to education and thinking in general.

I received this email in the last few days from the Trinity Forum on the subject, and it really does capture a lot of my thinking on the subject.

Sure, I'm hoping you all read my blog posts, but I'd much rather you read my books, or even some real classics. Go grab a book that's long, and that will make you work at it a bit. See if you can stretch your attention span (even better, stretch your concentration span!) to what they were pre-Sesame Street.

Need some suggestions? Watch this space in the next few days; I'll be compiling my suggested reading lists from past posts, and I'll put them here, along with some comments as to why they might deserve your time and attention.

Cheers,
Charlie

Classic Post Reposted: How to Cook Bratwurst

(This post is a repeat from May 13, 2011. It has proved to be the most popular single post ever on this blog, and based on my experience, it has every right to be.)

As promised, I'm going to expose the secrets to perfect brats. First, though, let me take you, if I may, on a journey - a journey back to how I first learned the basics of this highly-favoured endeavour.

Perhaps you already know that my wife and her family hail originally from Wisconsin. Moving from Sheboygan, Wisconsin - sausage capital of the US - to the Detroit area meant some significant lifestyle changes, not least of which was the basic lack of what they had come to know and love as bratwurst. What to do?
Well, my ever-resourceful then-future father-in-law found a way to have real Sheboygan brats flown into Detroit, and massive quantities were received each year to the delight of all and sundry.

When the time came for me to ask him for his daughter's hand, I had already been introduced to the glories of properly-prepared bratwurst. He and I sat down in the living room, where I told him that I had an important question for him. "I was wondering," I asked, "where you get the brats?" The cool thing is, he told me the whole story about getting them flown in via a perhaps-then-illegal interstate meat transaction. With that out of the way, I told him that I wanted to marry his daughter, and he averred that he thought that was a good idea.

Sadly, the Sheboygan Sausage Company of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin is no more, but the recipe was (supposedly) purchased by the Johnsonville company, and that is now the brat of choice.

(An interesting side note here: we did find what we considered to be vastly superior brats on a trip through Sheboygan at the Miesfeld's Triangle Market - several times State Champions, in fact - but the cost of shipping so far outweighed the cost of the sausage that it will remain a "when we pass through we're buying a bunch" kind of thing. But I digress.)

It was at a family reunion here in town that I learned at the elbow of my father-in-law just how it was done. (Note the past tense there, it actually gets better!) The brats must be boiled a bit in a mix of beer and water before going on the grill. This lets them release some of their fat before hitting the fire, the which can be an exciting event.
A squirt bottle of water was the tool of the day for keeping down the flare-ups that did arise, although the beer held in the other hand would do quite nicely as well. Care should be taken to avoid stirring up too many ashes - they can stick to the brats and make for a grittier-than-desirable experience (and yes, that does mean that charcoal is the preferred heat source).
There you have the basics of brat grilling. Condiments and bunnage are best left to the individual's taste, but mustard, onions, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut make up my starting point.

Now to reveal the secret to my enhanced bratwurst cooking process.
Into the pot of beer and water (I generally use Molson Canadian) I add an onion cut into wedges, and a healthy dose of nutmeg. These additions add just the right notes to the already-delicious flavour of the brats, and the kitchen smells glorious all the while too.

Now please, go and enjoy your bratwurst, but enjoy them responsibly.

Catching up with the times

I just thought I'd join the parade before it passes me by, and move into the era of smartphones and qr codes.

Enjoy:

RIP Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen, the man who made skeletons move and fight against Jason, trying to prevent his taking of the golden fleece, has shuffled off this mortal coil.

Here's a rather nice tribute, along with a link to that spectacular fight scene:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/07/ray_harryhausen_obituary/

In spite of the fact that Argos suck, both the movie and those skeletons were amazing!

His artistry was an inspiration to many other filmmakers, and he will be missed.