Yes, in a world gone mad, it must be time for an uplifting, jolly distraction.
Thus, submitted for your enjoyment, Spike Jones and His City Slickers in a fabulous performance from 1964. Really, there's no need for any explanation beyond this paraphrase of Spike, "Music is noise, so anything that makes noise can be used to make music in my band."
Enjoy!
Pork loin - not tenderloin this time, but the loin was definitely tender!
My flavour consultant reminded me yesterday that I hadn't posted this. Not directly, mind you, but rather by asking for some details of the cooking for his effort at replication.
Thus:
I had a 3.77 lb pork loin (1.7kg for the metrically-minded) and we were hosting some family.
Heidi had bought a few bunches of golden beets (If you've not tried them, you should know they're a wonderful vegetable. If you have tried them, then you already know they're a wonderful vegetable.), and had par-cooked the greens and stems.
Well, how about a stuffed pork loin, then? I sautéed some diced onion, sliced mushrooms, and then added the greens. These were seasoned with some nutmeg, salt, and pepper. The final touch was the addition of a bit of cream cheese: that was the stuffing.
Having sliced down the middle of the loin nearly all the way, I then covered it with plastic wrap and applied my meat mallet to flatten it out a bit. The pork was seasoned with salt and pepper, then the stuffing was spooned in and the loin closed around it. Three bits of twine and a few wooden skewers held everything in place.
Into its roasting pan I added about 1/4C of dry vermouth and a splash of Amontillado from the cask (just kidding about the cask), tented it with some aluminum foil, and into a 325F oven (~165C) it went for just about two hours.
I had thought it would take longer, but I checked the meat with my instant read thermometer (a kitchen necessity!) to find the roast was done.
While it rested, I put the golden beets back in the oven (I had cleverly roasted them at 400F to nearly done before cooking the pork) just to reheat. I also made a quick slurry of cold water and cornstarch and turned the liquid in the pan into a delicious gravy.
I know we had something else with these two things, but I can't recall right now - when I do I'll come back and update the post.
At any rate, this was one of the most successful roasts chez nous in recent memory.
Highly recommended!
PS - On this date in history, 22 March 1903, Niagara Falls ran dry due to a drought. Pretty amazing to imagine that, eh?
Yes, shame and humility seem officially dead (at the very least they're on extended life support).
As regular readers of this blog likely know, I'm not a big sports follower. I have a few teams or sides whom I follow, mostly in non-mainstream sports, at least for these United States. (The EPL is getting so popular I may have to find a different sport or league to follow {sorry Spurs and Wolves}, but the CFL is still mostly unknown here, so my support for the Ti-Cats is safe for now.)
Still, when there talk of Pistol Pete Maravich's scoring record being broken with scarcely any talk of the vast number of asterisks that would be needed, well, let's just say my blood will soon pass 99C, shall we?
Were I in that player's position, I like to think I would tell the school not to embarrass itself by buying its way in; and that, if they did, I would sit on the bench or at least miss any shot I was forced to take. (As I said, I hope I would do that - I know the temptation would be great. That's why there are supposed to be adults in charge of the school and the team - to do what's best for the students. Oh, I forgot; we don't really have student athletes competing for their schools anymore - it's all about the sport and going pro as soon as economically advantageous, all while trying to score some big NIL bucks. Good grief, no wonder I don't follow any college sports anymore.)
Here's a excerpt from an excellent article over at FanBuzz: (link to full article)
Pete Maravich's college career was nothing short of incredible. Perhaps the most astounding factor of his time at LSU is the 3-point shot had yet to be introduced in college basketball. Pistol's game was unique for his time because he loved shooting from outside and a lot of his shots would've been worth more had the arc been in play.Exactly. Asterisks for three v. five seasons, 83 v. 145+ games, three point shots, shot clocks, etc.
It's estimated Maravich would've averaged 57 points per game with the 3-point line. Absurd.
Since freshmen were forbidden to play at the varsity level during Pete's time, his freshmen year scoring totals didn't count towards his career numbers. Had they counted the 741 points he scored on the freshmen team, he would've scored 4,408 points in his four-year career. Additionally, the shot clock had yet to be invented, allowing teams to stall and restrict opposing possessions.
Pete Maravich is the greatest scorer college basketball has seen. His ball-handling wizardry, shooting ability and baggy socks are cemented in the sport's lore. Pistol was always locked, loaded and ready to fire from anywhere on the court.
Grr.
My title today is only partially appropriate. I've actually just come across a tale I'd read in my youth (I know it was more than 50 years ago based on where I had read it) and realised why I was enjoying this collection of the stories of The Thinking Machine so thoroughly.
As I'm nearing the end of the aforementioned collection of Thinking Machine stories, I've come to "The Problem of Cell 13" - it's the one I remember as my first exposure to Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen, aka the Thinking Machine. What great fun.
Oh, and the reason for today's title? Today is the centenary of the passing of Marcel Proust, author of "À la recherche du temps perdu," among other light writings.
Well, Michigan, the State which has never had capital punishment for convicted murderers, nor for anyone, has now enshrined death in its State Constitution with the passage of Proposal 3.
Well done, folks. May God have mercy on us all.
What a momentous week in history we're currently astride!
Ah, but today marks the 53rd anniversary of the premiere of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on BBC1. No doubt all those watching realised that it truly was something completely different.
Further, today would have been the 193rd birthday of the 21st President of these United States, Chester Alan Arthur. He's probably best-known among those of us in the know for his famed climb to the top of the bedroom wall where he thrust his defiance at the Javanese and shouted, "Give me them, or I'm going over there!"
Let the celebrations roll!
It will seem very odd the next time we're in London. We've gotten quite used to strolling past Buckingham Palace and seeing the warm glow of the Queen's telly in the window, wondering just what she was watching. Might it have been The Great British Baking Show? Perhaps The Repair Shop? (that would have my vote) One assumes that even the royals have to pay their TV license fee in order to watch, so it's good to know they were there with the hoi polloi (I know that has a double definite article, it's simply standard usage.)
Seriously, Elizabeth had been queen for the entirety of my life, and she really seemed to be the ideal monarch: one who cared about her Nation and her People; one who actively engaged with her subjects as well as the important matters of the day, and with loyalty, grace, and honour. She will be missed. One can only hope the king will be better than I fear he will.
The Queen is dead, long live the King.
