Spam Poetry - unspoilt musical allegorising churchy

Is no doubt that anybody with an unspoilt musical allegorising churchy but from whom as he guessed the peculiar gifts, taken such a step without consulting him. When the rnaq himself sanders came down the stairs frorrn and i made inquiry, desiring to know both this science will daily come into collision for people
to her dear daughter catherine, wife of francis concerned with the maintenance of northern unity.

Spam Poetry - the vedas faithfully

That regenerate brahman who studies the vedas faithfully warn others of the sin and danger thereof, of kurus, over all the worlds. Bathing there at produced by variegated ignorance. It is attended of our eastern republican friends to favor douglas, their office having no divine authority so there incapable of being overcome by the deities, danavas, at the prospect of battle and assembled together,.

recipe: shark week special

Although Shark is one of those marine species typically shyed away from for most dining because of poor fishery management, poor fish quality and the seemingly poor public image of the animal, it is Shark Week on the Discovery Channel and I do love me some shark. In honor of this here’s what I came up with for today’s meal. as you may have noticed, i prefer my seasonings self-preparred, and in many cases home ground from whole spices as it allows me to control more of the flavors. As you also may know, I don’t give out many of my special combinations, but i’ll tell you the basics here of the blackening seasoning as it is paramount to the recipe. i am quite partial to a corn maque choux side but there are a number of warm green salads, grilled veggies or other related sides available to it.

blackening seasoning - ground cayanne and black pepper, onion and garilic powder, paprika, dried thyme, dried finely crushed rosemary, cumin, sea salt

shark steaks (whatever legally caught and is fresh for your waters, other fish such as tile, sword, etc will work, for me blues are also a good substitute)
butter
cast iron skillet

onion
bell pepper
celery
garlic
brown rice (long grain)
bay leaf
oil
house seasoning
stock and bourbon combination (2:1 stock to bourbon and 2:1 ratio liquid to rice)
oil
skillet

finly chop the bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic. begin to saute the combination in the skillet with a bit of oil.
after the veggies are soft / translucent, add the rice to the skillet
allow the rice to cook in the oil with the veggies until it begins to become translucent
add the bay leaf and the seasoning and mix in
add the bourbon stock mixture and cook covered for 20-30 minutes until rice is tender

heat the cast iron skillet over high heat, be very careful handling it!
while the rice is cooking rinse the room temp shark filets and pat them dry
hand rub the filets with the blackening seasoning just before placing them on the heat
after the skillet is at temperature add a small pad of butter, it will immediately brown, make sure there is enough of the lipid to create a coating on the hot cast iron before applying the shark steak
once you have the right lipid concentration, add the shark one or two steaks at a time
allow it to sear and then begin cooking on the one side, place a pad of butter on the top of the cooking steak and allow to continue cooking 2-3 minutes depeding on how thick the piece is
do not allow the spices to completely "burn" during the cooking, flip once, adding another butter pad after the flip and cooking a continued 2-3 minutes, again do not burn the seasoning to the pan, longer cooking requires more lipids.

pull the fish, dust lighly with blackening seasoning as necessary and allow to rest before serving.
place the fish slightly over the rice

Spam Poetry - he spoke, good dog

As he watched at the sick man’s side, by the appearance most subtle flattery and almost always irresistible. To pay himself with fine words, which the subtler continues above. The wall is scaled and we are which purpose we fitted her with a mast and sail, the blue there is one elam in every settlement. they had got on very well together, but miss durrant never would he forget the chill in his veins as. He spoke, good dog.

Spam Poetry - equestrienne languishment

And rain on his cheek. Yet even when his eyes yet beheld, on the other side of the mountain. Mr. Tolman was alone. this investigator of musical you know, the pleasure of ‘now,’ said madame, keen on him. Actually yesterday afternoon one though lincoln was voted down, to lincoln belonged he said carefully. Ii wish mr. Van aldin had chosen has gone splendidly, r.g. Is terribly pleased with equestrienne languishment.

Mid-season Recap

More than half-way through final season at the house that Ruth built and halfway through the Yankees schedule and it is time to take stock on this “rebuilding” season for a team that spent more than any other franchise in any sport in order to field a team in the first place.

Pitching

The season began with what seemed like a solid rotation featuring a balance of youth and experience.  Wang was supposed to be the Ace of the staff coming off a Cy Young nominated season.  Pettite was the bridge between the highly successful Yankees of the last decade and the younger arms of a rebuilding staff while Mussina’s shakey game last year was looking more viable coming out of spring training as a middle of the rotation arm. Hughes and Kennedy were both coming off solid seasons after being brought up, some might argue, prematurally to the majors.  However, three of these starters are now on the disabled list (Wang, Hughes and Kennedy) and this year’s savior is Mike Musina with a 11-6, 3.6 ERA season thus far. Not the ace you would expect. 

The Yankees luck with the staff is almost no better this year than it was last year when they went through 10 starters in 30 games. Injuries are a plague, but even with injuries they’ve managed to string together wins by brining Darrell Rasner back to the rotation and slowly converting flamethrowing reliever Joba Chaimberlain into a starter.  Dan Giese picked up a few starts and bailed out starters as a long reliever to also fill in the gaps. 

Can Mussina continue the comeback?  If he can maintain control of the strike zone and continue to be aggressive with all of his pitches he will remain the unsung ace of the staff.  Not being guided by the fastball, but rather the cunning and finesse of his other pitches is allowing him to be more effective and last longer into games.  Can Pettite hold it together?  The threat of re-injury will forever loom, but Andy is a battler and a quiet leader who is more than a servicable middle rotation pitcher with tonnes of big game experience.  Can Joba be a starter?  Only time will tell on this one.  Chamerlain has been anything but an immediate savior as his innings pitched (and win-loss ratio) recover from the transition from reliever to starter. The questions are still abound as to how solid his arm will be over the long haul, not just in length of outtings and ability to maintain both velocity and location, but moreso, in overcoming the potential physical breakdown not only he’s been prone to in his past but that of a number of phemons in recent era.  If the Yankees are smart about his development and are able to preserve his arm strength he can be a threat as a starting pitcher.  How will Wang look after injury?  Coming back from such a long time on the DL will be difficult and ramping back up into game form will probably not put him back into the Ace spot until the fall, which, if the Yanks do make the playoffs might be just in time.  It won’t be the velocity, but rather the control, that will be the focus as there were points earlier in the year his command of the strike zone just wasn’t there.  What about Hughes?  If Phillip stays healthy he’s a threat having shown flashes of brilliance before.  Consistency will be the key to his continued development and that means no more freak trips to the DL.  They anticipate a late summer return and from there building up his fast ball velocity and regaining control of that sweeping curve will be the key.  And Kennedy?  If Wang and Hughes come back and are effective, it begs the question where does Kennedy fit into the staff right now moreso than anything else.  Developmentally, he was coming along nicely for being a young arm thrown into a playoff run last year, but he stumbled out of the gate this season and really struggled before landing on the DL.  If he can refind last year’s form, he can challenge for a roster spot, but that’s a big if.

Then there’s the question of the rest of listed starters.  Rasner began strong coming both in the minors and for his first several starts with the Yanks.  Then he cooled off dramatically and came back down to earth which will probably land him in a long reliever role with Dan Giese when players return from the DL and the roster goes up right before the playoffs.  Giese has established himself as a solid righty out of the bullpen and is more than a servicable emergency reliever, if he continues pitching this well he will be a valuable asset.  And then, there’s Carl Pavano.  If he can come back from the elbow surgery this season and get up to pitching form before the summer’s out than maybe he can end his Yankee career on a more redeeming note than the way the rest has gone.  Can this guy find his fastball?  or the strike zone? or heck, at this point, can he even find his way to the mound??  The potential was there, but the execution has become so unpredictable about the only thing consistent about Pavano is his name on the DL.  Chances are the Yanks won’t see Sanchez in pinstripes this season due to his surgery, but unlike Pavano, Sanchez is working to build himself back up to be the future of the franchise, not overcome being one of its biggest gaffaws.  The only other starter out there to mention is Kei Igawa, who if he ever throws another ball in Yankee stadium will probably be made into sticky rice by the fans.  Throwing high might work in Japan, but in the AL-E you will get taken yard every time, and when you don’t have amazing control paired with overwhelming speed even trying to go upstairs is a death sentence for a pitcher anywhere.  Apparently class AAA ball hitters like his pitching too, because it seems like he gives up almost as many big runs there as he manages in strike outs. 

Relievers

Best in the game Mariano Rivera is putting up phenominal numbers yet again as a closer.  The only chince in the armor is his an ineffectiveness in non-relief appearances.  Those however are so few and far between, mostly under loosing circumstances to get work in that as long as his dominating command is there in save situations one really can’t complain.  After loosing superstar setup man Joba to the starting rotation, the bridge to Mo could have become very shaky for the Yanks.  Kyle Farnsworth has lightening stuff but lackluster control and in the past blew up in some very big situations but as the first half of the season came to a close he’s looked very good in the latter innings.  His role is defined, his head is on straight, is fastball is glowing and his slider is near unhittable most nights and that’s what the Yanks need.  Jose Veras also stepped up nicely to build the bridge strong and with his control back there really isn’t much the room for opposing hitters to get back into games in the late innings. It might not be the 1-2 punch the yanks once had out of the pen to get to Rivera but if you add in Edwar Ramirez’s continued development and the only real complaint is not having a natural lefty reliever out of the pen since some of the off season moves were a bust.  The rest of the reliever rotation between AAA Scranton and the Yanks will undoubtedly produce some amazing arms out of the big park’s pen.  There’s a lot of potential depth in the system to work with even ignoring the possibility Bruney and others coming back from the  DL, the only concern again is the lack of a big lefty reliever.  This is a big move the yankees could make going into the trade dealine after the break and shoring up the bullpen is only going to help the Yanks who have been blown out in several games due to spotty pen performance while also loosing a few heartbreakers because they couldn’t hold the lead.

Outfield

At one point there were how many outfielders on this team?  Four starters for three spots and none of them have IF capability.  In right Abreu is a decent fielder with a good arm and in center Melky Cabera is quick with a cannon for an arm.  Both have been healthy and really holding together the OF while Damon and Matusi take turns on the DL.  Matusi began the season essentially having lost his spot in the OF to Damon when he moved from center to left to make room for Cabera.  The relegation to DH for Matusi could have played havoc on the lineup with the glut of potential firstbasemen the team was carrying and the need to give Posada, Giambi and others DH duties too.  It is a nice problem to have when you consider, however, the semi-perminant move to the DL posed an even bigger problem.  At one point both Damon and Matsui were out leaving not only gaping holes in the lineup but moreso in left.  Finding an everyday left fielder could be a key to the Yanks run at the post season if Matsui cannot return because Damon is still fighting through his injuries.  Justin Christian is a good young product out in the field with a very solid defense but might not be the answer as a complete player.

Infield

The problem at first base seems to be working itself out.  Jason Giambi is back to being the go-to guy after every other option attempted produced no different result.  Jason looks better at first than he has in recent years and therefor the platoon of players behind him all vying for that same spot in the lineup are not as necessary.  He is still a liability if he has to throw the ball and he holds the glove on the wrong hand compared to many first basemen, but his range is better and he saves Jeter and A-Rod from a lot of errors by being such a big target to throw at and digging so many of their errant cross-diamond throws out of the dirt.  And that’s not to disrespect the other side of the infield, but Giambi has such a bad rap defensively that his receipt of the ball on some big plays is almost always overlooked.  As for the rest of the IF the only question mark comes in Jorge Posada.  He is one of the franchise backbones, a product of the system that has a seemingly great relationship with the pitchers.  He calls a good game most of the time and is pretty solid behind the plate defensively.  He’s had better and worse years throwing out runners (some of which can be chalked up to the pitchers he was catching) but all-in-all, he’s been an invaluable asset to the team.  The nagging injury to his arm however is not good news.  Molina is an excellent backstop and Moeller is proving to be an asset as a backup as well.  Jorge behind the plate with a bum arm is a liability. He is not a comfortable first basemen or outfielder and even if he was, there are already several other options of natural position players in those roles making such a transition difficult.  Being a sole DH carries the same problems with Jorge as it would with Matsui as well which presents the dilemia of what to do with Posada.  Best thing might be for him to get the surgery now and be fully recovered for next season.

Batting

Inconsistent is about the only word to describe this staff.  It has been a problem for several years and this year nothing has changed.  On paper this is a serious contender to be a 1,000 run team, in reality stringing together their hitting seems to be a real challenge.  Not that any particular player is having a terrible season, although a few got off to very slow starts, but in reality they are not hitting as a team with any continuity.  Its more like the coming of the tides, sometimes high, sometimes not so high.  The entire team is susseptable to leaving men on base, especially in scoring position and this inability to produce timely hitting day-in and day-out is mindboggling.  They can put up runs, and do, but just not in any particularly predictable fashion. 

Lead off - Damon is irreplaceable in this role.  What he might have lost in steps in the OF he still has on the basepads and he hits for power and average with a good on base percentage. He has a great eye and works counts to get on base anyway he can.  Jeter is an alright lead off option in a pinch but he offers more protection in the lineup not batting first.  Similarly with Cabera he has not flourished when put in the role and hits better in other positions like Jeter.  Christian might be a good leadoff hitter if he could hit, but thus far his OBP is dominated by his ability to walk and once he’s on he’s a big threat to steal.  But just having a good eye to get walks isn’t enough, one needs to hit as well.
2 & 3 - One of the better combinations in the big leagues seems to be Jeter and Abreu.  Both hit for average, both have good eyes and work deep into the counts.  Either on base is quick and a threat to steal in the right circumstances.  Both can hit for power, though Jeter’s numbers are way off this year.   Both can either be table setters for A-rod or take care of driving in the runs themselves.  Critics might say Jeter is a week link in this part of the lineup due to his numbers being lower than usual, but he still has an eye for being clutch and that can be key if they make it to the post season.
Cleanup - Alex Rodreguez is trying to earn his money in the cleanup spot.  Unlike in years past where he was notorious for leaving men on base, not hitting well with two outs and not coming up with hits in big spots, the slugger is finally putting his opportunities together and driving in key runs.  That’s the difference between A-rod a few years ago and now, not the statistics themselves but the timing of the hits.  When he’s on he defines the lineup. However, if you take away the table setters in front of him and the two big bombers behind him it might not look quite the same.
5, 6 & 7- If a-rod doesn’t get you then Giambi might.  The two have become a dangerous package as of late with Giambi finally coming out of the slow start to his season.  Giambi still hits almost purely for power and when he gets into one it can be damaging.  What is actually interesting though is he has a high OBP despite not hitting for average because he has a great eye and works walks (and seems to still get plunked a lot despite not leaning in much) thus acts as a potential table setter in the middle of the order while still being able to drive in clean up runs.  It is good to see him finally hitting to the left side which in making that adjustment might explain his slow start while trying to relearn that there is a left side of the field.  The other two guys that normally hit here would be Posada and Matsui.  Both dangerous hitters, both not hitting because they are on the DL.  Thankfully despite their carosellesque trips to the DL it has not left the lineup completely bare with Cano and Cabera stepping in along with a platoon of other players.  Cabera began the season very slow and was actually more effective in the 9 spot giving the Yankees speed at both the top and bottom of the order, moreso than he has been when he’s batter further up.
8 & 9 Typically reserved for the defensive minded players who aren’t career hitters, but with the Yanks staff that really doesn’t exist as almost everyone carries the bat well.

Spam Poetry - the regiment well received

Your cards rather well, haven’t you, phillipa? Moderator of news.announce.newgroups). If the the chippewa. The mouth of this creek was selected old clothes again but she had managed to make the matter, that although sydney carton would her lips were set in a vindictive smile. Aye, from having ever to be overwhelmed, by giving slivers, ‘no, but i am of mcintosh and the rest alone she heard no more till
the afternoon, when easily hidden by a choker of pearls or beads. ’s what i have always wanted to do, returned the watching. Within a little while the regiment well received.

Recipe: Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry topping

I know there are a tonne of boxed pancake mixes on the market (or as my sister tells me, there are canisters you just add water too and the mix pours out) but there’s still something special about doing it the way I did as a kid making them from scratch at some ungodly early hour on Saturday morning with my sister while my parents were pretending to be asleep. I couldn’t tell you how many scalds I got from the electric griddle. The inspiration for today’s recipe was fresh blueberries at the market, plus the fact we had blueberry flavored coffee at home, it was blueberry overload.

The note on this is although today’s recipe is blueberry, the original recipe was strawberries and I’ve varriations with blackberries, raspberries, peaches and other fruits and is very easily adaptable to these fruits. Maybe this fall I’ll post the apple one and the savory pumpkin one too…but I don’t suggest you try this recipe on them yet.

the pancakes
1 cup all purpose flower
1 cup whole milk (if you use lower fat / no fat milk expect a thinner finished product)
2 tbps baking powder
1 tbps baking power
2 tbps raw sugar (white refined will work well, but the molassas traces are nice, brown sugar is not a substitute here)
1 lg egg
dash of salt
1/4-1/2 cup crushed blueberries (you can reconstitute dried berries and then hand crush them in lue of fresh, if you are doing it with other fruit, consider the texture, use hand separates black or raspberries or diced strawberries, peaches, etc)
2-3 tablespoons cold butter
2 mixing bowls
1 griddle

sift and combine all dry ingreds (minus the sugar!) into a large mixing bowl
cut the cold butter into the dry ingreds
in anothe container crack the egg (this will ensure the egg is still fresh, and if you happen to drop shells you can fish them out early)
add the sugar, fruit and milk to the egg, beat very lightly
combine the wet ingreds into the dry ingreds bowl by folding lightly until combined
pre-heat griddle to medium-high heat (when water droplets evaporate quickly once added it is hot enough)
allow the pancake mix to rest, chilled, and work on fruit topping

fruit topping
1 cup blueberries
1/4-1/2 cup water
1/4 cup raw sugar (white refined will work well, but the molassas traces are nice, brown sugar will work here as well)
3-5 tbps butter

crush the blueberries (a few quick pulses in a food processer should do the trick)
begin with half the water an the sugar over low to medium heat to begin a simple syrup
add the berries and simmer over low heat until the berries break down and the mixture thickens
if the mixture becomes too thick, add more water as necessary to gain consistancy
while the sauce simmers make the pancakes

pancake cooking
place a baking sheet in an oven heated to low
once the griddle is hot enough, apply a small amount of a lipid (butter, oil, etc) to help prevent premature sticking
refold the mix one last time and pour out about 1/3 to 1/4 cup per pancake
allow to brown on one side, once bubbles begin to appear in the top surface, lighly lift edges to check for doneness
once seared on first side, flip and allow to cook on second side until lightly browned
remove from griddle to baking sheet untill all the batter is used up

plating
remove the fruit topping heat and allow it to set for 1-2 minutes
plate 2-3 pancakes on a plate, if desired place a pad of butter with each
drizzle over the pancakes the fruit topping
top each plate with a few berries of fresh fruit and enjoy

Spam Poetry - karma felt great pain

Together the vital seed that lies within the body. The samans and the yajuses and who has carefully breasts of the hills are concealed by forests and intoxicated with vanity, the great sea of through the church. He thought he saw her still and lakes, whose waters unite together at the she alone knew, and where serge could not possibly he had no right, in his pride, to ding away his karma felt great pain and became exceedingly agitated. With concentrated faculties the protection of of the poor people around? And when he
had suggested come to him? As regards myself, i will do that.

Recipe: Octupus and Gnocchi

Interesting meal made spontaniously today with bits and pieces of stuff still being held in the freezer and fridge. The Octupus was pre-preparred, cleaned, sliced and flash frozen in a bag. The cooking instructions are a modification of the instructions included with the octupus. It is entirely possible to clean and prepare your own, just remember, like squid, cuttlefish, etc. there really are only two cooking times, 1 minute, or 1 hour. The gnocchi were pre-preparred as well, although I am versed in making fresh gnocchi, these were already made, therefore they are listed in terms of cooking only.

1/2 yellow onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1 stalk celery
1 hot pepper (jalipino was what was used, any, including red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper)
1/2-3/4 cup octupus parts
1 cup gnocchi
4-5 sun dried tomato
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
veggie stock
dried orgenao
fresh black pepper
small pot
large frying pan or skillet

in a small pot boil the octupus parts for about 15-20 minutes
dice onion, celery, bell pepper, hot pepper, tomatoes and garlic and place in a lightly oiled frying pain
after boiling remove octupus to the pan and reserve the hot water
season the octupus and veggies with black pepper and add dried oregano
lightly saute the octupus and veggies over low to medium heat about 15 minutes
while the flavors meld, take the gnocchi and bring it to a boil in the reserved hot water
allow the gnocchi to cook, however do not fully cook gnocchi, they will finish in the fry pan
move the gnocchi and most of the starched water to the frypan and increase the heat
reseason as necessary with black pepper and add some of the veggie stock as necessary
as the liquids boil and begin to evaporate the remaining ammount will begin to thicken into a sauce
once the desired consistancy is obtained (meaning most of the liquid has boiled off) finish with a small ammount of the balsamic vinegar
serve, I did it in a bowl that was lined with a fresh spinach leaf but that was me