Dave Riddle
Grilled Pork and Spaghetti Squash with Asparagus, Ricotta, Lemon, and Thyme
Marinate the thin cut boneless pork chops with a dusting of Lemon-pepper for the Protein and accompany with..
- 1 small spaghetti squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- Olive oil
- 1 pound of asparagus
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup ricotta
- 1 clove garlic, unpeeled
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves from 4-5 sprigs
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Carefully cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds, and brush with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking tray and place in the oven to roast for about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends and slicing the stalks on a diagonal into 2-inch pieces.
Using a microplane or zester, remove 1 teaspoon of lemon zest from the lemon, and then cut the lemon in half and juice it. Pick the leaves and soft, thin stems from the thyme until you have about 1 teaspoon.
Combine the lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, thyme leaves, and ricotta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and several grinds of the pepper mill. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more lemon juice, salt, and pepper as needed. Set aside.
After the squash has roasted for about 35-40 minutes, add the asparagus to the tray and tuck the glove of garlic beneath one of the squash halves. Return the tray to the oven and roast another 10 minutes, so until the asparagus is bright green and starting to char in places and when the squash is easily pierced with a fork.
Take the baking tray from oven and carefully remove the garlic clove from beneath the squash. It should be a little soft from its time in the oven. Snip off one end and squeeze the garlic from the peel into the ricotta and mix well. Transfer the asparagus to the bowl with the ricotta.
Let the squash cool for another 5 minutes. Pull a fork through the flesh to separate and remove the strands from the shell. Add to bowl with ricotta mixture. Mix squash, asparagus, and ricotta mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper, and spoon into a serving dish.
Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with pine nuts before serving
My Position on “Gay Marriage”
I first posted this up about +2 years ago on FB. Figured I’d put it here too so I don’t have to keep digging for it over there to point people too.
I’m neither pro nor anti. I’m agnostic since I don’t think the government should be involved in Marriage. Surprisingly uber Lib Cass Sunstein makes the case for Conservatives to join with Libertarians by pointing out that Marriage is just another government licensing (read tax) scheme.
Sunstein proposed that government recognition of marriage be discontinued. “Under our proposal, the word marriage would no longer appear in any laws, and marriage licenses would no longer be offered or recognized by any level of government,” and “the only legal status states would confer on couples would be a civil union, which would be a domestic partnership agreement between any two people.” and “Governments would not be asked to endorse any particular relationships by conferring on them the term marriage,” by referring to state-recognized marriage as an “official license scheme.”
I too lean Libertarian on the issue of Marriage. That is I don’t think the State has any business in the matter. I am in favor of Civil Unions in that this establishes the “contract” between the parties for the purposes of protecting the parties and the children in the event the relationship fails. Marriage should then be a purely Religious ceremony governed by your Religion and your beliefs as guaranteed by the First Amendment.
My own religion has two different types of marriages. One performed at the local Chapel, etc… if you are not able for whatever reason to be married in the Temple. That Marriage is like any other Marriage in that it is for this lifetime only. We believe a Temple Marriage is for “time AND all eternity” Guess which Marriage certificate means more to me? The one I have from the State of Arizona or the one from my Church?
If a couple from the Unitarian Church (who whatever) had either a state issued Civil Union contract or a Marriage License from their current Church and decided to convert to my faith the Church would certainly recognize them as being married. If they then wanted to “seal” that marriage in the Temple they could do that too.
My position on Abortion
I am opposed to Roe v. Wade because it is horrible law. If you have to get into a reliance of emanating penumbras then you really have no basis for law since the ghost you think you see might just be a bank of fog.
As for abortion…
Here is the Gospel according to Dave. I have had this conversation many times…
“I’m neither pro-abortion nor pro-life. I agree with Bill Clinton: “Abortion should not only be safe and legal, it should be rare”
The decision should be between a Women and her Doctor. However, since pregnancy (in cases other than rape, incest, etc…) take “two to tango” in the case of an “oops” if the pro-abortion lobby is saying the matter is only the concern of the women and the father has no say in the abortion than I want to hear them say that if the woman makes the choice to carry to term and the guy does not want it then she waives the child support.
I come to this opinion on my own. I don’t know when the fetus becomes a human (that is not to say that there is a question as to it’s potential. It’s not a seahorse for crying out loud.) I mean when does God introduce a spirit to the flesh? At conception? At first breath? I don’t know. I can certainly feel safe with first breath being a reasonable point. Before that point is why I think the issue of aborting a child conceived in rape is one of the allowances of my Church. Understand. NO General Authority of the Church has EVER (to my knowledge) uttered anything approaching that concept. That is purely the “Gospel According to Dave”
Also in line with my Church’s teaching on the matter (which includes life of the mother) I do not see a contradiction in that stance of being generally opposed to Abortion since we are commanded to go forth and multiple. Terminating a child in the womb is certainly short-circuiting that and would be at cross purposes.”
Stuffed Peppers
- 1 lb Italian Sausage, ground (mild or hot)
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 4 Green Onions, diced
- 2 lb of Peppers (Jalapenos, Poblanos, etc…)
Brown the sausage and drain the excess rendered fat.
Add the sausage to a large bowl to mix with the Cheeses
Slice the peppers length-wise and remove the seeds
Fill the cavity of the Pepper with the Meat/cheese mixture
Top with a little more cheese or panko breadcrumbs
Heat oven to 425 and cook for 20 minutes
I like to quarter a tomato and place in the oven for the final 10 minutes to give them a light roast to eat along with the stuffed peppers
Thinner skinned Peppers like Anaheims and Fresnos tend to wilt too much during cooking
Jalapeno Bacon Burger Biscuits
- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 large Onion
- 4 Jalapenos (seeded and diced
- 8 slices of Bacon, chopped
- 1.5 t. Garlic Salt
- 1.5 t Pepper
- 1 t Paprika
- 2 t Olive Oil
- 2.5 C Shredded cheese (Whatever you like to put on a burger: Cheddar, Swiss, etc…)
- 2 Packages Pilsbury biscuits, Grands
Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to caramelize.
Add bacon and jalapenos. Continue to cook for about 5 mniutes
Add Beef and spices. Cook until beef thoroughly browned
Add 1.5 C of the Cheese and stir to blend
Lightly flour the individual biscuits and roll out to about 5″ in diameter
Sprinkle with a little cheese and add 3 T of the Beef mixture
Fold over into the shape of an empanada and seal the edges. Place on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes
Since it’s basically a Cheese burger serve with Mustard/ketchup or your other favorite condiment. also, considering adding other items (like mushrooms) to the beef mixture.
2nd Amendment debate
Some comments I have posted…
Question for the anti-gun rights folks. If you really believe that the 2nd Amendment refers to the right of a Militia (and not people) to own guns please explain to me why the need for an Amendment to ensure the ability of the Executive to exercise it’s already enumerated Article 2 Section 2 powers?
Another thing for those on the anti-gun side wondering if the 2nd Amendment covers guns like an AR-15 or AK-47. Read the Supreme Court decision in Miller when they decided that a sawed off shotgun was not covered.
The ruling did not actively address the individual right to own a gun (that was covered later in Heller) merely considered the “Militia” aspect of the Amendment.
“The signification attributed to the term Militia appears from the debates in the Convention, the history and legislation of Colonies and States, and the writings of approved commentators. These show plainly enough that the Militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense. ‘A body of citizens enrolled for military discipline.’ And further, that ordinarily when called for service these men were expected to appear bearing arms supplied by themselves and of the kind in common use at the time.”
1. The Individual citizen was expected to bring his own gun to the muster if called
2. It was to be a kind in common use for that purpose. Note: the civilian version of the AR-15 and AK-47 “look” like the type used by the Military to use for defense but don’t function like them.
3. The AR-15 and AK-47 variants are a common type of rife in useSo… If you want to take this to the Supreme Court the precedence argument could be made that Miller allows for full auto weapons like that used by the Military. You sure you want to have that argument?
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0307_0174_ZO.html
The purpose of the words “A well Regulated Militia” from the Heller Decision
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-290.ZO.html
“Relationship between Prefatory Clause and Operative Clause reach the question, then: Does the preface fit with an operative clause that creates an individual right to keep and bear arms? It fits perfectly, once one knows the history that the founding generation knew and that we have described above. That history showed that the way tyrants had eliminated a militia consisting of all the able-bodied men was not by banning the militia but simply by taking away the people’s arms, enabling a select militia or standing army to suppress political opponents. This is what had occurred in England that prompted codification of the right to have arms in the English Bill of Rights.
The debate with respect to the right to keep and bear arms, as with other guarantees in the Bill of Rights, was not over whether it was desirable (all agreed that it was) but over whether it needed to be codified in the Constitution. During the 1788 ratification debates, the fear that the federal government would disarm the people in order to impose rule through a standing army or select militia was pervasive in Antifederalist rhetoric. See, e.g., Letters from The Federal Farmer III (Oct. 10, 1787), in 2 The Complete Anti-Federalist 234, 242 (H. Storing ed. 1981). John Smilie, for example, worried not only that Congress’s “command of the militia” could be used to create a “select militia,” or to have “no militia at all,” but also, as a separate concern, that “[w]hen a select militia is formed; the people in general may be disarmed.” 2 Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution 508–509 (M. Jensen ed. 1976) (hereinafter Documentary Hist.). Federalists responded that because Congress was given no power to abridge the ancient right of individuals to keep and bear arms, such a force could never oppress the people.
Demo for Marty
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The Munchie Man
Back in the mid 80’s we did a “Road Show” musical based on the Music Man. I played the Robert Preston role. Except instead of wearing a band leaders uniform I was rockin some tights, sweat shirt and ankle weights
I recently stumbled across the script and lyrics from the show.
Seventy six pounds off by the first of May,
With a hundred and ten pounds more after that
We’ll get rid of our rolls and rolls and fit in our pantyhose,
Then no one can ever call us fat.
(drill sergeant)
Seventy six pounds off and you’ll blow away.
You’ll get rid of those lumps and bumps, or you’ll stay!
So get out there and hit that track ’cause we don’t give money back,
Checks and cash – we don’t care how you pay.
(Reprise)
Seven or six pounds off – we will make it yet
We will diet and exercise every day.
We’ll get rid of unwanted fat and we’ll never gain it back:
Self-control is the one and only way.
O-Oh, the Weight Watchers’ Wagon is a-comin’ down the street,
Oh, please let it be for me.
O-Oh, the Weight Watchers’ Wagon is a-comin’ down the street,
I hope that it can do something for me!
I’d like to have a dreamy date by my birthday
And I’d just like to go out at all
Just once I want to fit a size seven–
I’d really dazzle them if I were at the big state
O-Oh, the Weight Watchers’ Wagon is a-comin’ now
And we’ll be slim, trim and fit as we can be
We’ll leave our cookies, our ice cream and our Hostess Twinkies,
So we’ll look like — something special — wait and see!
Oh, we really miss them so!
Fats and carbohydrates, Fats and carbohydrates, Fats and carbohydrates,
How we hate to see them go!
Now, if you’d like to see a calorie inundation,
We
We could lose the slightest feelings of dedication —
Oh to have one bite of that stuff tonite!
Fats and carbohydrates, Fats and carbohydrates —
Not green salads, fiber, bran, protein or Lean Cuisines, but…
Stickey, gooey, starchy, chewy, sick’ning, fat’ning, crummy, yummy
Junk Foods — our Dream of Dreams.”
If you would eat a treat, you’d see — it’s neat!
You’d crave it madly, badly, dear vegetarian — Marian!
If you stumbled, and you nibbled my Whatcha-ma-callit,
Then your health foods would lie unnoticed
‘Til that stuff had all turned to carion – dead vegetarian!
It’s a long-lost cause we can never win,
And munching of junk food by a vegetarian
Such as Marian! The vegetarian!
With lots of doublestuff inside
Oreos, how everyone knows —
You couldn’t beat them if you tried!
Yum, yum, yum — you can scrape the middle out first!
Yum, yum, yum — a taste sensastion and a huge temptation!
So here is our love song – not fancy or fine:
Oreos, oh won’t you be mine!
Chomp, chomp, chomp — drink a lot, pig a little more!
Pig a little, scarf a little, pig a little, scarf a little —
Chomp, chomp, chomp — drink a lot, pig a little more!
Pig a little, scarf a little, pig a little, scarf a little —
Chomp, chomp, chomp — drink a lot, pig a little more!
Pig a little, scarf a little, pig a little, scarf a little —
Chomp, chomp, chomp — drink a lot, pig a little more!
Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp
Good bye, Ding-Dongs!
Good bye, Oreos —
We’re going to leave you now.
Farewell, french fries!
Good bye, Big Macs!
Buzz off Snickers!
We won’t eat you — NO HOW!
Fiscal Cliff? Who are they trying to kid on the spending?
The current state of fiscal discussions in Washington is akin to burning wads of hundred dollar bills to illuminate the dark recesses of a room to try and find a penny that rolled away.
Sequestration will force $1.2 Trillion in Budget cuts. So friggin what.
Remember the huge blowout Budgets everyone (especially the Left) complained about during the Bush Admin? Well guess what. The Budget in 2005 was $2.4 Trillion. The Budget this year? $3.7 Trillion. Now use some grade school math and subtract $2.4 Trillion from $3.7 Trillion. Surprised? That equals to $1.3 Trillion.
Sequestration is $100 Billion less than rolling back the clock to a blow out Budget from the Middle of Bush’s term.
That $1.2 Trillion does not cut that amount in one year it is to cut it across a decade.
Sequestration is meaningless. Even for De fence spending. Consider that in 2005 the DOD budget was $401 Billion and for this fiscal year it is at $671 billion. Sequestration PLUS the already agreed on cuts could result in cutting about 10% from the DOD budget which would reduce it to still over $603 Billion. In 2005 we were heavy in Iraq. Now we are not and we are drawing down from Af/Pak. Surely we can “reduce” the DOD budget to an amount that is only $200 billion more than we were spending during the war in Iraq?”
Roasted Red Potatoes, Pearl Onions and Carrots
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- 4 Tb Butter
- 3 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 10 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Dill Weed dried
- 2 Lbs Baby Red Potatoes quartered
- 4 oz Pearl Onions Frozen
- "Baby" Carrots
- 4 Tb Lemon Juice
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Place butter, oil and garlic in an microwave safe dish. Heat until the butter is melted. Add the Salt, pepper and dill weed
- Place the potatoes, carrots and thawed pearl onions in a large bowl. Toss with the marinade mixture to coat evenly
- Pour contents of he bowl onto a large baking sheet Bake for 30 minutes
- Remove from oven to gently stir then return to oven for another 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelize
- Remove from Oven and drizzle with lemon juice and garnish with additional Dill.
2012 Pot O’Chili Recipe
No initial heat with a slow build so that when a good sized bowl has been consumed you will feel a little bit of warmth around your lips.
Note: If you like some heat I would double the peppers
- 18 Slices of Bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
- 12 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
- 6 med Onions, finely chopped
- 3 Red Bell Peppers, seeded and chopped
- 3 Yellow Bell Peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 Fresno Chile Peppers, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 Serrano Peppers, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 Habanero Pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 12 T Chili Powder
- 3 T Cumin
- 6 T Mexican Oregano
- 3 T Smoked Paprika
- Salt and Pepper to Taste (I used 2 T Sea Salt and 30 grinds of pepper)
- 2 Lb Ground Beef
- 1 Lb Stew Meat, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 Lb Ground Pork
- 1 Lb Pork loin, sliced thin and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 C. of Dark Beer (I used a bottle of Michelob Amberbock)
- 3 15-oz Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 15-oz Cans Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 24-oz Cans Crushed Tomatoes
- 3 24-oz Cans Diced Tomatoes (with their juice)
In a large dutch oven cook the Bacon pieces over Medium Heat until they start to become crispy
Once the Bacon has browned add the Garlic, Onions, Peppers (Bell, Fresno, Jalapenos, Serranos and Habanero), Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano and Smoked Paprika
Cook until the vegetables are tender.
In a frying pan on High Heat add the Ground Beef and once it is browned deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup of the Beer and then add to the dutch oven.
Return the frying pan to High Heat and add the Ground Pork. Once it too is browned add 1/3 C of Beer to deglaze the pan and then add to the dutch oven.
Return the frying pan to High Heat and add the Beef Stew meat. Once it starts to brown add the Pork loin pieces. Once it all this meat is browned add the final 1/3 C of Beer to deglaze the pan and then add to the dutch oven.
Stir in the Beans (Black and Kidney)
Add the Crushed and Diced Tomatoes and stir the mixture well.
Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 2 Hours. Tasting to adjust seasoning and adding Salt and Pepper as needed.
Garnish as desired: Lime wedges, Sour cream, Shredded Cheese, Sliced Green Onions, etc…
Creamy Zucchini & Corn with Flank Steak
Great reinforcing flavors with lots of veggies and keeps the meat portion small.
Note start cooking the Steak just before starting the Creme Sauce and the meal will all come together at the same time.
Veggies (note do ALL the prep before starting to cook)
Creme Sauce for the Veggies
- 1 T Olive Oil
- 2 T Flour
- 1 can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk
Veggie Mix
- 1 T Olive Oil
- 1 small Onion, chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 lbs Zucchini, quarter them length-wise then cut the quarters in 3/4″ chunks
- 3 Plum Tomatoes, chopped
- 15 oz Frozen Corn, defrosted and patted dry
- 1 t Salt
- 1/4 t Black Pepper, ground
- 1/4 t Cumin, ground
- 1/2 T Crushed Red Pepper flake
- Shredded “Mexican” Cheese blend
- Chopped Cilantro (optional)
Start with the Creme Sauce
Heat the oil in a sauce pan over Medium heat. Stir in the flour. Now gradually pour in the evaporated milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens and just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and cover
Place onions and garlic in a large skillet over Medium heat with the oil and until tender, about 3 minutes.
Add the Zucchini and cover until tender, about 9 minutes
Add the Tomatoes and cover for another 2 minutes
Uncover and stir in the Corn, Salt, Pepper, Cumin and Red Pepper flakes
Stir the Creme Sauce into the mixture and heat for about 3 minutes
Serve garnished with the Shredded cheese and chopped Cilantro
Flank Steak
- 3/4 Cup water
- 3 T Beef bouillon, granulated or 3 cubes
- 1/2 C chopped Cilantro
- 2 T Brown Sugar, Dark
- 2 T Chili Powder
- 1 T Oregano, dried
- 2 t Cumin, ground
- 1 1/2 – 2 lb Flank Steak
Combine the water and bouillon until dissolved.
Stir in the Cilantro, Sugar, Chili Powder, Oregano and Cumin
Pour mixture into a 1 Gallon zip lock freezer bag and add the Steak
Coat the Steak in the marinade and place in the Refrigerator over night (or for at least 4 hours)
Heat Grill pan over Medium heat and place steak on pan.
Heat each side about 9 minutes per (or until desired level of doneness).
Allow the meat to rest for 5-10 minutes after it comes off the heat to retain the juices.
Cut the Steak, against the grain, into thin strips.
Cut the strips into small bite size pieces (about 3-4 pieces per strip)
Serve the Steak over the Veggie mixture
The odor of a Poll's cross tabs
I wanted to take some time to look at that “poll” claiming to show that Obama leads Romney among Small Business Owners as it just did not smell right.
Well… The odor is indeed strong and as I always say about polls I need to see the cross-tabs.
Be interesting to see if there is some push back on the data of this poll since it is such and outlier compared to a similar polls of this same segment over the past few months.
First lets look at polling from Gallup that showed Republicans (and leaners) at 49% to Democrats (and leaners) of 42%, it is reasonable to assume that the Democratic advantage by party affiliation in 2012 will be somewhere around non-existent for the general population.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx
Scott Rasmussen, has also noted. “Over the last 20 years, the number of people who in a presidential election have considered themselves Republicans has been between 32 percent and 37 percent. The number of people who have been Democrats has stayed between 35 and 39 percent in that time frame. Yes, there are changes, but there are not massive swings.”
The poll being touted on the left surveyed 6,145 small business owners and was conducted by George Washington University School of Political Management and Thumbtack.com. Their sample of likely voters claims,
Rep = 29%
Dem = 32%
Ind = 39%
http://www.thumbtack.com/resources/politics-2012/GWU-Thumbtack-Political-Sentiment-Survey.pdf
Looking at a survey by a Small Business Association of members and non-members you can see the cause for my questioning the validity of this GWU Poll
http://www.nsba.biz/vote/docs/NSBA-Politics-2012.pdf
Here is the breakdown of Party Registration of Small Business Owners for the following years.
2007
Rep = 54%
Dem = 30%
Ind = 16%
2008
Rep = 48%
Dem = 33%
Ind = 20%
2011
Rep = 54%
Dem = 16%
Ind = 19%
They also asked the question of how “Regularly” they Vote:
Rep = 95%
Dem = 86%
For Comparison they also included Fortune Mag/Zogby Poll from a 2007 Survey and they indicate that Zogby has not followed up that poll with new data.
Zogby
Rep = 37%
Dem = 35%
Ind = 26%
So…
Given the Party Affiliation reported from Prior polls of this demographic and the results of others Polls of this same group (I have not looked at the cross tabs of those other polls) does it seem reasonable that the Obama who could fill a stadium in 2008 and can’t fill one at his own convention in 2012 has engendered the kind of enthusiasm among Small Business Owners to get them to change their party affiliation by double from 2011? Or better yet if looking at 2008 which showed Dems at a similar ratio of 33% to the GWU survey of 32% that ALL of the swing has been from Rep to Ind?
What would be the result of the GWU Poll if the weighting based on Party Affiliation was more in line with other samples of this same demographic and did not so heavily discount the affiliation of Republicans?
Brazilian Fish Stew
Stumbled across this recipe and made some “tweaks” to it. Nice and spicy!
- 3 T Lime Juice
- 2 T Ground Cumin
- 2 T Paprika
- 5 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 t Salt
- 1 t Black Pepper, freshly ground
- 2 Filets Tilapia, cut into 1″ chunks
- 15 Shrimp (41-50 count) or substitute similar sized scallops
- 2 T Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, finely chopped
- 3 Medium Bell Peppers (1 Yellow, 1 Red and 1 Orange) diced
- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 2 14-oz Cans Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
- 1 16-oz can Coconut Milk
- 1 t Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 Lb Pork Chorizo, fresh or removed from the casing
Mix the Lime Juice, 1 T of the Cumin and 1 T of the Paprika, Salt and Pepper in a bowl/bag. Add the Fish, Shrimp, etc.. Toss to coat and allow to marinade covered/sealed in the Refrigerator 2-4 Hours
Heat the Oil in a 5 Quart pot on Medium-High heat. Add the Onions, Garlic and Chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Turn heat down to Medium. Add the Peppers. Heat for a few more minutes until the Peppers have softened
Add the Fish, Shrimp, etc.. along with the Marinade, the Drained Tomatoes and the Coconut Milk along with the Red Pepper Flakes and the rest of the Cumin and Paprika. Mix well. Cover and simmer on Medium-Low for 20 Minutes. Stir occasionally
Garnish with Fresh Cilantro and serve with toasted bread
Corn Salad
Corn Salad with Grilled Kielbasa
- 1 lb frozen (or fresh corn)
- 1/2 Green Bell pepper, chopped
- Grape or Cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 C Green Onions, choppped
- 1/3 C Miracle Whip
- Hot Sauce to taste
- Frito Lays “Chili Cheese flavored” Corn Chips
Cook the Corn, drain and allow to cool
Prepare the other veggies by chopping the bell pepper into small pieces, slicing the tomatoes in half (we like a LOT), chop the green onions and place the veggies into a bowl with the cooled corn and toss to mix
To this mix add the Miracle Whip, hot sauce to taste (we use about a T of Yucatan Sunshine but you could use Tabasco) and generously add fresh ground pepper. If not topping the salad with crushed Corn chips add a pinch of salt to taste.
Stir and adjust seasonings as desired. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Serve with the corn chips on the side to be crushed and blended into the salad.
How the Electoral College Should Assign Electors
First let me say I like the Electoral College System. We are a Constitutional Federal Republic. We are NOT a Democracy. I don’t want to live in a Mob Rule Democracy. Mob rule is exactly what the force of “evil” want when then call for either eliminating the Electoral College and going to a Nation-wide Popular vote scheme.
The Democrats keep saying that they want a nationwide “popular” vote election in place of the Electoral College. They say this would force Candidates to pay attention to the “smaller” states. Well that is a lie. It would just focus yet more attention on the bigger population centers in the bigger states. There would be no need to pay the slightest bit of attention to the smaller population centers and smaller states in “fly over country” since their smaller voices would be inundated by the tsunamis from the coasts.
Want to really force the Parties and the Presidential campaigns to pay attention to the folks out in the hinterlands (and watch the Dems crap their pants?) express your support for assigning Electoral votes not on a winner take all solution like the Dems propose (which would mean that even if Candidate Y won your state that your state is still forced to give its vote to Candidate X simply because people in other states voted for X and not Y) but rather like how Electoral votes are assigned via the “Congressional District Method” like Maine and Nebraska do.
This type of system does not require a Constitutional Amendment either as each State can simply pass legislation deciding how to assign their own Electors per Article 2 Section 1 of the Constitution
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
The Electoral College System assigns votes equal to the number of Congressional Districts plus two. The winner of the popular vote of the State is awarded the Electoral votes not assigned to the Congressional District.
So… The Popular vote winner of each District awards it Electoral vote to that winner. The remaining two Electoral votes are then awarded to the winner of the Popular vote for the entire state.
Why would this cause the Dems to crap their pants you ask? Consider California and it’s monster 55 electoral votes (it takes 270 votes to win the Presidency). The winner of California has a HUGE advantage going into the contest and Candidates don’t even need to campaign there since the outcome is not in doubt. In 2008 Obama won all 55 of those Delegates by winning the State. However, McCain won 11 of the 20 “Republican” Districts. This would have meant that California instead of awarding 55 Electoral Delegates to Obama that he would have won 42 for the Congressional Districts plus another 2 for the overall State win and McCain would have picked up another 11 votes for his tally.
Obama would still have won in 2008 with 303 Electors rather than the 365 he obtained via the Winner take all. McCain would have increased his tally from 173 to 237.
Battleground states like Pennsylvania (21 votes to Obama would have been split 11 to Obama and 10 to McCain) and Ohio (20 to Obama would have been split 10/10) and Florida (27 to Obama would have seen McCain take more Electors with just 12 going to Obama and McCain taking 15)
[table “17” not found /]Finding results for 2000 has not been as clean. Very odd considering the “controversy” of that Election. Therefore the numbers int he following table are not exact. The data for 2000 that I did find was using the Congressional districts from 2006 and since districts changed following 2000…
It was interesting looking around for this data to discover that even the Mob rule advocates for the “National Popular Vote” deal with this. Quite dishonestly too I might add..
If the congressional-district approach were applied to the results of the 2000 presidential election, then Bush would have received 288 electoral votes (53.3% of the total number of electoral votes), and Gore would have received 250 electoral votes (46.5% of the total). That is, the congressional-district approach would have given Bush a 6.8% lead in electoral votes over Gore in 2000. Gore received 50,992,335 popular votes (50.2% of the two-party popular vote), whereas Bush received 50,455,156 (49.7% of the two-party popular vote). Under the existing system, Bush received 271 electoral votes in 2000 (50.4% of the total number of electoral votes)—a 0.8% lead in electoral votes over Gore. In summary, the congressional-district approach would have been even less accurate than the existing statewide winner-take-all system in terms of mirroring the nationwide popular vote in 2000.
The idea of a National Popular vote would mean that…
Popular vote seems like a logical way to determine who should be President of the United States. The New York Times has advocated such a system. Majority rule is a major problem for this system. Founded as a Constitutional Republic, the United States values a balance between those in the majority and those in the minority. Being such a vast, heavily populated landscape, we need to realize that a variety of viewpoints must be considered when we elect our President. Today, if we were in a popular vote system, whatever New York and California wanted, New York and California would get. All candidates would represent the same values because there do not exist enough votes in the rest of the country to override the shear numbers of people that are found in these states. Popular election for President would effectively eviscerate the minority voice in United States’ politics. In 2000, Vice-President Al Gore won the popular vote by 500,000 votes while winning both California and New York.
As this interesting site I stumbled over looking for data makes clear. Which he had published the Congressional District data for 2000
[table “18” not found /]
Obama DOES NOT believe that Gay Marriage is a "right"
Obama does not believe Gay Marriage is a right. I try to point this simple truth out to the kool-aide drinkers all the time. The adage about leading Horses to water applies in spades to them.
Obama is a Lawyer right? Yes
Supposedly Obama was a lecturer (not an actual Prof) teaching some ConLaw right? Yes.
Does Obama understand the point of Brown v. Board of Education in overturning Plessy? I hope so.
Brown v. Board declared that “Separate but Equal” was unconstitutional and that therefore a Right trumped the ability of a State to legislate otherwise under the protections of the 14th Amendment.
According to our Declaration of Independence who gives us rights? The Government? Nope.
We are endowed with them by our Creator. They are unalienable Rights. They are not allowances or privileges.
So… Does Obama believe that the matter should still reside with the individual States in determining the issue of Marriage? Yes
So… What can we deduce his position is in re: Gay Marriage being a “Right”