Cooking with Blobby

Well, I threatened to write about making lasagna, so I guess I should follow through.

To me, making lasagna is a little like making meatloaf. It's never quite done the same way twice yet it always comes out tasking basically the same. I think it is probably really hard to fuck it up.

...and spoiler alert: I didn't.

I gathered my items (to your left - though I left out garlic and olive oil from the pic) and went to it.

My mother taught me long ago - well before the invention of no boil lasagna noodles - that you don't actually have to boil them at all. She never did. And I never have. With the right amount of sauce, it takes care of helping cook the noodles with enough moisture. I don't know if no-boil versions are more expensive than regular, but I just buy the regular.

Onion - 1 medium, chopped.
Ground beef - 0.5 lbs
Ground pork - 0.5 lbs
Ricotta - 15oz (I used reduced fat - NOT fat free)
Eggs - 2 (beaten)
Tomato paste - one 4oz can
Tomato sauce - one  8 oz can
Stewed tomatoes - one 14.5 oz can
Mozzarella cheese - 8oz shredded
Cheddar cheese - 6oz shredded
Parmesan cheese - 1 cup shredded
salt - 1t
pepper - 1t
olive oil - 1T

After heating the olive oil, add onions and soften. Then add garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the pork and ground beef (or if you're not a pork fan, just use a pound of ground beef). Simmer until meet is cooked through - drain off any fat. 

While the meat cooks, I combined the ricotta (or cottage cheese if you'd rather - yuck!), salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese

Add tomatoes - stewed, sauce and paste. Simmer for 10-15 until it thickens. It's almost like sloppy joes. 

In a 9x13x2 pan, start layering. 

Sauce on bottom. A layer of noodles. Half of the ricotta mixture. Half of the sauce/meat mixture. Half the shredded cheeses.  Then......repeat: noodles, ricotta, sauce and cheese. 

This is what it should look like. Honestly, I don't think I've ever added cheddar, but it works. But into a pre-heated 375F oven for 35 minutes. 

Take out - let it sit for 10-15 so it can set up. 

Cut a slice. Serve. Possibly with breadsticks and a salad (not shown).

It probably serves around 6-8.  It will keep us in lunches and dinners for a few days since there are only two of us.


....and as predicted, enough though things were changed, etc - it came out tasting exactly like it always does. You really can't fuck it up.

My Music Monday

Colin Meloy of the Decemberists isn't the best singer our there. His range is limited, his style can eerily be the same song to song.

Still, there is something about half his songs that just really works.

I know it is mostly the horns, but the truly make the delivery of "Cavalry Captain".

As I said in my RotM review last month, I like the song, though some of the background vocals just annoy the crap out of me. This still stands true a month later.

Still the song has that '60's vibe mixed with the 10,000 Maniacs' "These Are the Days". Ok, the latter reference isn't so overt, but there is an underlying groove there that really does connect with that song.

There is something infectious about "Cavalry Captain". I like it. I play it. I sing along to it. But I think it's really about the horns.

the Real Slim Shady

Since paying off the Oscar contest with Mike -and he with me - I've been intrigued with eating my own feelings baking.

I think I mentioned I attempted another batch of chocolate chip that came out much much better than that first go around.

710 mentioned something about M&M cookies, and I filed it away for a later time.  .....but only like a week later.

Save two ingredients - one being the M&Ms, I had all the stuff. So why not?

There are a fuck of a lot of recipes out there for these types of cookies and they vary greatly. But I found one I liked more than others - though there is no rhyme or reason for this. Like Boston sang, it was more than a feeling.

The reviews made me cringe and laugh. "I followed it to the recipe to the letter - though I added more vanilla, more flour, lowered the temp and cooked for less time".

Honey - and you know it's a woman - that is not to the letter. It's like people who say "literally" when they have no idea what that means.

The one change to the dough (and I will get to that) made said dough way easier to work with. Though since it was so easy, it was easier to use all the dough for cookies and not eating from the bowl.  So it was a win-lose.

I would have thought that with M&M cookies, the brown sugar would be less than the chip cookies, but not so. And less white sugar too. Who knew?

So - and away. we. go.

All purpose flour - 2.25 cups
Baking powder - 1/4 t
Salt - 1/4 t
White sugar - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 1 cup (firmly packed)
Vanilla - 1 t
Eggs - 2
Butter - 1 stick of unsalted
Crisco -  1/2 cup
M&Ms - 1.5 cups


I didn't duplicate all the pics from my last baking adventure, but the first three are pretty much the same.

The recipe called for a full cup of Crisco (who knew you could use it for baking too???), but I saw some who did half butter, half Crisco and that seemed better to me. I don't know why - I have no knowledge base with which to back this up.

Still the sugars, Crisco and butter went in and I creamed it for 4-5 minutes on medium speed. Then the eggs and vanilla went in on low. I scraped down the sides of the bowl and one quick incorporation and done.

The recipe said to add 1/2 cup of M&Ms to the mixture, but by all accounts, people said that wasn't enough and added 3/4. That still seemed iffy.  Fold them in, don't use the stand-mixer.

This time I used parchment paper. While it seemed to work better for baking, I forgot it made 

clean-up a fuck of a lot easier. 

Anyhoo - 1 t scoops, flatten the tops with your fingers and add 2-3 (ok, always 3!) M&Ms to the surface of each cookie. 

Side note: there were an inordinate number of green M&Ms in the bag. And by all accounts, those make you horny.  : )

The recipe says 10-12 minutes at 375F.  I see why people went to 350F. While they were supposed to be brown only on edged when you take out and they set-up afterwards - 375F made them finish in the oven. So I immediately took them off to the cooling rack to decrease any additional external baking time.

Well, they look pretty. 

As 710 said, 'they taste fine'.  And he was right. They were fine. Not great.

They tasted better than a lot of store bought, that's for sure. I guess I could learn to tweak this, but we'll see. I'm not sure we need 3 dozen cookies sitting around the house at one time.


....but I'm not sure that we don't either.

Song by: Eminem  (get it?  get it????)

Doctor's Orders

It's Saturday. A little Sophie. More of Petey. And then one of of their cousins.

Another week; Another vet visit for Petey. 

We are now thinking of doing a daily inhaler for the poor guy. Dr. Smith and Karen are great with him though. 

Pete roaming around the vet office awaiting Dr. Smith's return. 

On the ottoman. He's rarely been on there and not sure why I'm getting the stare-down. 

Sophie resting and keeping me in my place - as she should be. 

It's cold in the morning before the heat kicks on. If 710 is up early, he'll cover Mr. Pete with a blanket to make sure he's extra comfortable. 

My niece's cat, Pippa. I call her Eva Braun.

My niece was home on Spring Break. I urged her to not bring the cat up from Florida, but she won't listen. Maybe this time she will, as her plane was delayed 8 hours leaving the cat in the carrier with no food, water or bathroom time. 

Song by: Carol Douglas

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 61st 12 of 12. 

Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone. Click images to enlarge, if you choose.

Created by Chad Darnell and picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore. Now it's just Erik (and sometimes Jim) and myself - that I know of. 

I still continue to do this, because of all my consistent post topics, I actually like this one the most.

06:15.  Clothes set out for the morning for me to put on. 

08:40.  Blood draw for my annual physical next Monday. 

I walk in and a woman is telling another woman she'll be observing her and telling her what to do. I mockingly go, "am I going to be your first stick???".  She replies, "No.  ...you'll be my 12th.". 

08:50. And while she did fine sticking me, the needle wasn't in enough to have blood flow enough to fill the tubes. They thought it would be ok, but I wasn't coming back. I had them re-stick me, hence the bandage on each arm. 

....the urine in the cup? Well........who said that was for the physical?

09:00.  Hospital Skyway. 

Walking from the lab to visit a friend who works at the other end of campus. 

09:40.  40F, but not warm enough. 

As seen on Petey's morning walk. 

10:10. Finally. Breakfast. 

I had to fast for 12 hours before the blood draw. Then the friend visit. Then the dog walk. Then to take care o my nutritional needs. 

12:20.  Sprint (not my network) FedEx'd an ad to me. 

They fucking overnighted an ad to me. 

13:30. Petey takes a schvitz. 

We've been making the guest bath a steam room to help keep his lungs clear. He's not happy in there, but I think he thinks he's going to get a bath. 

16:45. Playful Sophie. She is such a good girl. 

17:30.  Promises of Spring. Remnants of Winter. 

Second Petey walk.

18:45.  Layering my lasagna.
A possible Cooking with Blobby post next week. I'm not committed to it though. 

20:33.   You thought we were late to the British Baking thingy?  Well I'm really late on Orange is the New Black. We might be the last people in the U.S. to see it. Even my niece and nephew have. 

I snagged it from the liberry - and here season 1 still sits. I'm not good at binge watching. We'll have to get on that and I'll have to renew the time I have on it.  

And now, your Baker's Dozen.....well dozens. .....

22:05.  What is sure to be a post in the near future - another baking segment, where I made M&M cookies. Successfully (relatively speaking), I might add. 

That wraps up March's 12 of 12.  See you next month.

Proof

It is no secret that I find comfort in cooking shows. I like Ina. I love America's Test Kitchen / Cook's Country shows. I even like the new(er) PBS Martha show - though I was never a fan of the others she did when she'd glue gun stuff. I'm not into crafts.

I used to like Alton Brown, when he explained the science of food and cooking. Then he started being stupid with costumes and skits - and it got fucking annoying. Giada might have made good stuff, if you could look past her ever-exposed gums - and I never could look past that. How could one?

With the advent of the DVR, I'm sure I'm missing newer shows on FoodTV, but it's all I can do to avoid that channel with the 114 Guy Fieri (sp) shows that exist. And the ones he's not on, serial-adulterer Bobby Flay is competing (and always winning) against  some average housewife. What a paper thin ego that man must have. 

But what turned me off the FoodTV was the competition shows. Not only are they not helpful, they're impractical and ridiculous. I get it is for entertainment and not actual learning something new in the kitchen. If you have to get out a sledgehammer to break a shell of something or have to fly to a third world country to get the special ingredient, chances are you're not actually making it for your family. 

The baking shows are the worst. Over the top concoctions that no one can eat: literally. Most of their shit (yes, shit) is made from plywood, PVC and inedible frosting that is there for show. The winner gets a cash prize just for being able to finish on time and have it not collapse on the way to moving the 40' "dessert" to a showing table - and let's face it, half the folks are watching hoping to see one (or all) of them topple. 

So it was with great pleasure that on PBS we came across the Great British Baking Show. 

Yes, I'm late to the party. 

Apparently, whatever we stumbled across was at least the third or fourth season of this. I'm not sure how we missed the others, but we did. 

The two hosts / moderators are funny (and at least one has worked with French & Saunders, so....there's that). The judges are good - and fair. And the guy is named, I kid you not, Paul Hollywood. 

He's quite handsome and has great hair and goatee and incredible eyes. Yes, I'm that shallow. 

But the difference in this show is that:  the contestants actually bake.  ...and several times per weekend. And a series of breads, pastries and confections.

The other difference is, the bakes are judged not only on looks. The judges taste, feel, smell and count. Oh yes, if there are supposed to be 20 layers in a pastry, they count the layers. The contestants who had 16 or 17 were hoping it wouldn't get to that detail. They were wrong. 

I believe they start with 12 participants and whittle it down to three. We came in when they were down to eight. 

I had a few favourites that I liked their personality - like the above Richard (he seemed so affable, goofy and hardworking). I was hopeful for him or a woman named Chetna to take the prize.  (I won't spoil who won, in case folks haven't watched this, or want to.)

I found it funny to watch week after week - as they whittled down the contestants, I actually felt pangs of anxiety as they moved through their ever-increasingly harder tasks as time ticked away - or if they messed something up as they went along. I had to remind myself it was just editing and they didn't necessarily cut as close to the clock as maybe they made it out to seem.

Yes, some of the bakes were over the top, but at least they were all edible.

And they must do it for the love of baking, because as far as I can tell, unlike the $10,000 or $50,000 prizes that a stupid cupcake show in the U.S. gives out - the winner here got a commemorative plate and a bouquet of flowers for taking first prize.




Song by: Paul Simon

Treason

I've been very unsettled the last few days - and yes, it has to do with the GOP.

Shocking.

The 47 members of congress' more than likely treason-like activities have inflamed some of the Facebookers, myself included.

Their signed letter to Iranian officials places them in direct violation of the Logan Act.

While that act might be well intended, it is unclear whether it has ever been enacted. Reagan did nothing to Jesse Jackson when he discussed things with Cuba - though it was threatened. Ditto with Bonzo and the then Speaker of the House, Jim Wright.

Maybe it is toothless, maybe not. I suppose it was there for a reason - even if going back to 1799 (though amended in 1994).

It's a good time to test it out. Jackson and Wright didn't really put the U.S. in harm's way. These 47 douchebags could quite be responsible for long term last effects in diplomacy, if not outright military actions.

Senator "Nobody who just made a name for himself" Cotton put forth this letter attempting to circumvent any deal or plan that the President is negotiating. They are making 'threats' that a plan will be reversed upon Obama leaving office.

This means (to me) that they're assuming that a democrat won't win in 2016, or will side with them should that happen. This GOP group is even covering bases inviting Hillary to sign the letter as well - which of course is a huge Catch 22.

If she doesn't sign: she'll be on Obama's side. If she does, they'd call her a traitor.

But Clinton isn't sitting as a public servant. Though it could be argued that none of these guys are either.

Now, you don't seem attempted group treason very often, but look closely kids: it's happening.

And you DO have to look closely.

For all this fucking "liberal media' that the GOP bitches about, I'd like to know where it is. Enlarge the top image for CNN yesterday. Go ahead. I'll wait.

It's not even in the top 11 stories. And if I took another screen capture, it's not in the next 10 either.

But a friend on FB wondered aloud who these people illegally representing foreign policy for the U.S. might be and how they're getting away with it.

My reply was (because, you know I just couldn't hold back):

I'm not advocating what they're doing, but why shouldn't they?? 

NO ONE IS DOING A THING ABOUT or TO THEM. They have, and continue to, walked all over the American public and the Constitution, and not only have we let them, "we've" ELECTED AND RE-ELECTED them.   

Why would they stop?

And seriously - why would they?

Once again, the GOP has got the Dems and the country by the short-hairs and no one does a thing and except for some papers (the Washington Post), no one has it on the front page complaining.

But no one notices, because print is dead no one reads the papers anymore. And no one - myself included - has faith in the system anymore that anyone can or would do anything to stop this behaviour. Hence, my unsettled mind.

This mentality is just fucking soul-crushing.

But the GOP is good at this tactic - getting away with robbery in plain daylight. No one held them accountable for shutting down the government and adding $24 BILLION to the deficit in the process. Nope, they actually gained seats in the House and Senate.

They also know that if the Dems had attempted this, it would be front page news....EVERYWHERE.
Instead, the GOP has gotten people to look at Clinton's email habits - which not only were the same at Colin Powell, but any changes to the email policies were enacted after Clinton left her office.

Still............they made you look. You're distracted.


The Dems, as usual, are castrated little bitches. And after they're cut off, you cannot grow a pair.





On another news note: I'm not sure I could be more ashamed to have been an ΣAE.




Song by: Lindsey Buckingham

Whatever's Left

Last week, there was too much pork loin and I just didn't want to reheat it and serve it the same way as the first outing.

So, yes: I repurposed pork.

Ironically enough, there were about double the ingredients creating the leftovers as there was in the first recipe.

I won't say I have any idea what I was up to, but how bad can one fuck up? You just used tried and true ingredients that I use with almost every frickin' thing I ever make and voila wall-ah.

The only thing I probably should have done is a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes. That probably would have made the dish.

Onion - 1/2, thinnly sliced.
Garlic - 2 cloves minced
Olive Oil - 1t
Butter - 1T
Chicken Bullion - 1t
Tomato Sauce - 4oz
White wine - 1 cup
Wild Rice

Soften onion and garlic in the butter and oil 

Add wine, bullion and tomato sauce - bring to a boil for 10 minutes to reduce the sauce. 

Add 6-8 oz of pork cut into 1" cubes. 

While my sauce wasn't thick - it did coat the pork immediately, leaving no real extra liquid. I added some water, but you can probably add additional wine to thin the sauce. 

Cover pan and heat the pork through - maybe 5 minutes. 

Pour concoction over wild rice. 

Yes, I used Uncle Ben's microwavable rice. Sue me. It was a Friday night dinner. 

The dish was all well and good. Very serviceable but it lacked something. Maybe more salt (or any, as I added none). But I'm thinking some red pepper flakes would have spiced things up - literally and figuratively. 

Clearly not an everyday meal. It was fine to do something other than just reheating slices of pork loin. So it was like we weren't eating the same meal..........because we weren't. 

Song by: Snow Patrol

My Music Monday

Today's spinning wheel (man, I have not been self-inspired for a few weeks now - I blame the weather) lands on a group call Breakfast Club.

No - it was named after the movie nor vice versa.

Breakfast Club got a record deal, basically for one reason only: Madonna.

Before Madonna was Madonna, she was fucking - yes, let's call it what it was - the guitarist for the band. It's probably the only reason she got in the band - because it got into her, a few times per week, no doubt.

Yes, I know that is crass and crude. But you kind of know it to be true too.

Early in her career she "claimed" (yes, quotes) to have been the band's drummer - you know, because she had sooooo much drumming and percussion experience. I think she once played the triangle in 2nd grade - as we all did. There is one picture that exists of her behind a set of drums at this time - and so it was taken as gospel.

Even if this to be true {cough cough}, she was no Buddy Rich......or Karen Carpenter. She wasn't even a Chris Partridge, and he was basically fictional. You get what I'm saying.

Still, based on her early press stating she was more of a musician than she was, and her constantly bringing up the band, they got a fleeting glimpse of notoriety:  i.e. one album........and then an Acela ticket to Oblivion.

Even her replacement as drummer, Steven Bray, allegedly used to "date" (yes, quotes) Madonna and was co-writer on some of her songs on her second and third album. But one look at him in this video, and chances of him sleeping with "dating" any of Madonna's brothers has a higher probability.

Man, I am catty today.

I'd say it was the early days of MTV, but it kind of wasn't. 1986 (even though the video header say 1987) their only "hit" (yes, quotes....again) was released. Actually, if Wikipeida is to be believed (and why not?!), it reached #7 on the Hot 100. That would be a surprise.

It's a catchy enough - if not forgettable enough - of a song.  ....and yes, according to Wikipedia, it was remixed into a 12" single, by Jellbean Benitez - someone else Madonna used to "date".

The girl gets around. I suppose it's like throwing a hotdog down a hallway at this point. Hell, even at that point.

Shopping with Blobby

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think!


This month we aren't even talking about actual weird-ass or funny named products of which I seem to stumble over.

No - this month is is about renovation.

Cleveland, once again, is having a bit of resurgence. Downtown Cleveland, that is.

A decade ago, the thought of living downtown would have been considered insane. Save for some basketball, football or baseball games, anything happening downtown after 17:30 would have been a joke. The streets rolled up.

Downtown, to a degree, was thriving back in the mid-90's and then it all imploded. But it is on the way back. Some really really good restaurants, new hotels and businesses and even a casino.

But the big boom has been downtown apartments. Occupancy is at a staggering 97%. Rents are not cheap, because they don't have to be (Econ 101: supply and demand). Many old or vacated office buildings are in the process of being converted to apartment or condo living.

The problem with this was (now past tense): there was no viable place to buy food downtown. Groceries, that is.

In that spirit of renovation, the former Cleveland Trust Building has been turned into a Heinen's Food.

A friend of ours, John, was the architect on the project and he did a great job at maintaining the old - including refurbishing the original place and artwork - while making it usable for shoppers.

While there are many young residents downtown, many who are "our age"  - the boomers - are relocating there as well. Ditching the houses and suburbs for city living. It is something we have discussed and honestly, if it weren't for Petey, we'd do it sooner. But it's too easy to just let the dog out when he needs to pee, as opposed to dressing, taking an elevator ride and walking on no grassed areas.

But, it's still in discussion possibly in the next few years to happen.

(click to enlarge images)

Here is the exterior of the old Cleveland Trust at the corner of E. 9th and Euclid. 

The rotunda. The second level is mostly beer, wine and spirits. The third level - at least for now - is unoccupied. 

As stated - they did a nice job preserving and cleaning the original murals that make their way around the rotunda. 

For the 'of age' crowd, they even have wine and beer dispensing areas where you can sample different beverages. It's not open like at 10:00, so it's not like a bar. 

....and you can drink while you shop. You gotta figure that has to be good for unintended purchases. Lots and lots of tipsy impulse items. 

The lower level has your standard cases of meats, cheeses, prepared foods - and a place to sit and eat. There are also the typical rows of groceries off of the rotunda.

Even the bank vault is now the manager's office. 

But clearly the centerpiece is the stained glass rotunda ceiling. 

No one is 100% sure (or unsure) but the work might be Tiffany. We'll just pretend it is .

(and it is seemingly impossible to get a full shot with the iphone.)

John & Co did a nice job on the space and it was bustling when we went down - sure some of them were gawkers and a lot of drinkers. It's the new happy hour place. We tried not to be lookie-loos and actually bought 710 some coffee and then we picked up some chicken and potatoes for dinner.  ...and perhaps some cupcakes. 

This is not a place we would normally do our shopping. We have more convenient places to pick up groceries. Even for downtown dwellers, there are some inherent problems. If you're not just buying a few things you can carry for blocks back to your apartment you'll need a car (or Uber, I suppose).

The one potential drawback is the lack of parking - or should I say, free parking. Plenty of lots to use (some of which will validate if a certain amount is purchased at Heinen's). That won't help much during event nights when there is no vacancy in said lots. 

Still, a full service grocery store downtown is a huge step forward. We'll have somewhere to buy grub when we finally move downtown...........in a few years.

Sleeping Angel

More cold. More indoor time. So there is a LOT of sleeping going on this week. Though Petey did get out for a few long walks - and just as many he wanted to turn around due to the biting cold.

We didn't buy the pillow for him, but he loves it so much, it was easy to give it up. 

Again with the pillow.  .....and his sister.  Sleepy time. 

And awake time. They are always together. I just adore that. 

Driving Mr. Petey. 

His one adventure this week: the vet.  Nothing bad. Just some routine bloodwork and he had his paws & claws did. 

Song by: Stevie Nicks