Friday, November 28, 2008

Fighting Back, Matters of Life and Death, -and- The Termin-actor


Fighting Back - retiree fends off muggers with walking stick
Matters of Life and Death - Planned Parenthood offers gift certificates
The Termin-actor - thespian robot takes the stage

On this day in history: November 28, 1981 - Natalie Wood topples off her yacht near Catalina Island and drowns. Her husband Robert Wagner, and friend Christopher Walken, were onboard and unaware of her predicament.

Born on this day in history: November 28, 1962 - Jon Stewart (1962-) Born in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, comedian Jon Stewart is the anchor of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," the popular satirical news show critical of the political establishment and news media. He co-authored the best-selling "America (The Book)," acted in several films, and hosted The Academy Awards.

Scripture of the Day: He [Jesus] replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." — Luke 11:28

Video of the Day: The Geico Gecko





Thanksgiving Dinner - Click to enlarge!






Laura took this photograph of our Thanksgiving dinner. I was otherwise occupied--eating!

MENU:

Game hens: marinated in extra-virgin olive oil, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, ground Cayenne pepper, ground Chile de Arbol, lime juice, and ground cumin. On the grill, the game hen halves were grilled for 20 minutes over the front burner, with the skin side down, over a very low flame, with the rear burner on high. After 20 minutes, the halves were turned skin-side up and drizzled with honey. When the honey had flowed and coated the halves, they were turned skin-side down and grilled for 10 minutes. They were then turned every 15 minutes for 45 additional minutes. The front burner was turned off for the last 30 minutes.

Dressing: Ground hot Italian sausage, julienned white onion, minced garlic, diced red bell pepper, diced Jalapeño peppers, finely-diced habanero pepper, sliced mushrooms, baby spinach, chopped celery, poultry seasoning, Tony Chachere's More Spice, ground black pepper, ground Cayenne pepper, and ground Chile de Arbol were sautéed. Sourdough bread was cubed and toasted. The sausage mixture was added to the cubed bread, a can of chicken stock was added, and the dressing was mixed and placed in a Pyrex cooking dish. When the game hens were nearly done, this was baked in the conventional oven until the top was crisp.

Green beans: Fresh green beans were boiled for 3 minutes and placed in cold water to stop the cooking process. Bacon (cut into 1-inch pieces), julienned red onion, sliced mushrooms, minced garlic Gebhardt's chili powder, and lemon pepper was sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil. When this was cooked, the beans were incorporated, and the mixture was placed in a Corningware casserole dish.

Potatoes: Red potatoes wee diced and placed in a pot. A large head of garlic was peeled, and the cloves were added to the potatoes. This was cooked until the potatoes were done. The potatoes and garlic were drained and returned to the pot. Tony Chachere's More Spice, sea salt, ground black pepper, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, milk, and ranch dressing were added. The potatoes were whipped with an electric mixer.

Gravy: 4 chicken bouillon cubes were added to water, corn starch, poultry seasoning, and ground black pepper and simmered until the desired consistency was reached.