Surly's Soap Box is Moving:

I am moving Surly's Soap Box to: Surly's Soap Box! (Please update your blogroll!)



The reasons: Googles putting profits before Freedom by cooperating with the oppressive Communist in China. I'm not getting on the bandwagon with this: I think it's pretty low the way Google and Yahoo caved into the demands of the Commies, actually resulting in people going to prison. How quickly would they sell us out?

Also, Blogger has been extremely unreliable of late. I know, I know: It's free. You get what you pay for. I wasn't in a hurry pay money for this hobby, but I'm taking the plunge.

(Psycho Bob, let me know when you want to start posting again and I'll add you to the list.)

Hence Forth!

Hence forth I shall not be calling the place where my child spends her day while her mother and father are at work "Daycare", "Preschool" or "Church (because it's at a Church)"! I shall now be referring to it as "The Incubator".

All I have to do is walk into "The Incubator" and listen: Do I hear a little cough? A sniffle? I know that with in days, I shall be infected with what ever foul, noxious germ or bacteria they are incubating.

I am considering renaming my daughter, "The Carrier", or "The Breeder", but the wife, who is ultimately the pipeline for these diseases because of the amount of time I spend with her and her constant case of the sniffles, threatened me with a slow, painful death.

"Similar to the one I'm suffering now?" I ask.

"Worse."

Okay. No renaming the child. But I choose to retain my bitterness.

Friday Night Food Thing 1.26.06

Doug Bass and his son requested a recipe for Tom Yum Soup. It's been a long time since I've made it, but my recipe is from a tried and true source: A Thai fellow I cooked with when I did the restaurant thing. (Ahh..the late night hours...the working week ends and never seeing my family...Good times...good times) I've added this one to my own menu for the week end. You may have to make a trip to an Asian food market or whole foods store for some of the ingredients, but I will offer substitutes available at Cub or Rainbow (for those who live here in Minnesota)


Tom Yum Soup



Ingredients for 4:

4 cups of chicken stock
8 large whole shrimp
4 slices fresh galangal (or regular ginger) It's for flavor, not for eating, so large thin slices.
2 lemongrass stalk, smashed and sliced (May sub zest from one lemon)
4 kaffir lime leaves a(add zest of half a lime, or just add a little more lemon zest)
8 Thai chilies (2-4 jalapeno peppers, depending on your heat level. Thai chilies are hotter, but jalapenos are larger)
10 fresh straw or button mushrooms
6 cherry tomatoes
2 shallots
3 tbs lime juice
2 tbs fish sauce (ethnic food section)
1 tbs roasted chili paste (that little jar of sweet/spicy symbal oleck that you can get in the ethnic food section. Usually has a picture of an rooster on the label.
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions




Method

1. Heat the stock in a sauce pan and add your flavors one by one: begin with the galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. Add the shallots, chili paste, fish sauce and lime juice. Then add the chopped tomatoes, Thai chilies and straw mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the shrimps. When they turn completely pink, the soup is ready.

Serve by itself, or with rice. Or as an appetizer.

Garnish with cilantro and green onions and serve immediately.

You can saute some chicken or beef for this recipe as well.

Bastard Report 1.25.06

Bastard of the Day: Blogger. Blogger was supposed to be down for a half hour this afternoon. It is many hours later, and I’m going to e-mail this one in to see if it works.

Oh, and Commies. They are bastards too.

New entry into the "Know Your Commies" blog roll.

The World Can't Wait. Can't wait for what? Can't wait for Bush to finish up his term. Gotta get rid of him now. Check out the winners under the "Endorsed By" category.

World Can't Wait is the spawn of the Revolutionary Communist Party, a Maoist organization that endorses the over throw of the government, world wide communism and so on. Apparently they also endorse the "Don't Go To School or Work" Manifesto because most of their protest are smack dab in the middle of the week. How can they afford their cigarettes and Ben and Jerrie's Ice Cream? I've added them to the "Know Your Commies" roll as well.

One thing I learned cruising through their site is that I am a "Theo-fascist" or "Christa-fascist" due to my conservative Christian leanings. Cool. I think I would like to find a "Che"-style shirt with a picture of Jesus on it instead. That should annoy some people.

Forget the Fence...

Let's go with heavily armed guard towers every 100 yards:

Men in Mexican military-style uniforms crossed the Rio Grande into the United States on a marijuana-smuggling foray, leading to an armed confrontation with Texas law officers, authorities said Tuesday. No shots were fired.

Just to take the human factor (racism, greed, corruptible) out of the mix, lets arm each guard tower with, say a M242 Bushmaster 25mm Automatic Gun hooked up to some sort of motion detector. Sure, some tumble weeds and vermin (small furry creatures, terrorist, drug smugglers) might get wasted, but NOTHING is coming across the border.

Why we need to take care of the Iranians.

Just what we need: A religious fanatic with nuclear weapons:

The most remarkable aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's piety is his devotion to the Hidden Imam, the Messiah-like figure of Shia Islam, and the president's belief that his government must prepare the country for his return.

One of the first acts of Mr Ahmadinejad's government was to donate about £10 million to the Jamkaran mosque, a popular pilgrimage site where the pious come to drop messages to the Hidden Imam into a holy well.

All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi, who will appear at the End of Days. A common rumour - denied by the government but widely believed - is that Mr Ahmadinejad and his cabinet have signed a "contract" pledging themselves to work for the return of the Mahdi and sent it to Jamkaran.

Iran's dominant "Twelver" sect believes this will be Mohammed ibn Hasan, regarded as the 12th Imam, or righteous descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.

He is said to have gone into "occlusion" in the ninth century, at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace.

This is similar to the Christian vision of the Apocalypse. Indeed, the Hidden Imam is expected to return in the company of Jesus.

Mr Ahmadinejad appears to believe that these events are close at hand and that ordinary mortals can influence the divine timetable.

Yup: A couple of nukes for Isreal, then anything he can send at us. I'm tired of reading news stories about how Iran wants nukes so they can be a world player and affect regional politics. These people are out to kill us. They must be stopped, because they will not stop on their own. They are driven, and we must be equally driven, if not more so, to protect ourselves, our childern, and our freedom. Period.

Iran Threatens Full-Scale Enrichment.

Iran Threatens Full-Scale Enrichment.

Iran upped the ante Monday in its nuclear standoff, warning that it will immediately begin developing a full-scale uranium enrichment program if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council.

Look, are we gonna play North Korea with these maniacs? Are we going to send Madeline Albright, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton over there to strike a deal while the French and the Russians are raking in millions setting up reactors for them? Come on: The U.N. is absolutely worthless dealing with any real crisis unless there is money to be pocketed.

It's time somebody in the White House read a couple of Tom Clancey novels and let some missiles fly. And what ever you do, don't tell anybody about it until the dust settles: We don't want the rats taking to their holes.

NBC Cancels 'West Wing' After 7 Seasons, and I don't care.

NBC Cancels 'West Wing' After 7 Seasons because the ratings sucked. Do you suppose the ratings sucked because the American viewing audience is sick and tired of their T.V. spewing left-wing propaganda at them? Maybe.

Friday Night Food Thing 1.19.06

I know that cold weather is going to hit us one of these days. This easy to cook, one pot dinner will help warm you up.

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

Serves 10

INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (A lot of seasoning blends have a lot of salt, so be careful. I recommend Paul Prudhommes Cajun Seasoning Salt, but remember to taste as you cook so you don't over salt.)
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 onions, diced
2 small green bell pepper, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 once can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons salt (Remember: Taste as you cook. I don't want you to ruin this great dish!)
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons file powder (If you can't find it, don't sweat it. It adds a unique flavor and thickens little, but isn't necessary for great jambalaya. Bob's Produce Ranch in Fridley, MN has it.)
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a large heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the sausage and chicken pieces with Cajun seasoning. Saute sausage until browned. Remove with slotted spoon, and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil, and saute chicken pieces until lightly browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

2. In the same pot, saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until tender. Stir in crushed tomatoes, and season with red pepper, black pepper, salt, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and file powder. Stir in chicken and sausage. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.


Enjoy!

The Bastard Report 1.18.06

Okay. Step-Father Bastard beats little girl into a coma with a baseball bat. The State of Massachusetts, who is the legal guardian of the girl, wants to remove life support. The Step-Father Bastard is fighting to keep her on life support because if she dies, he gets charged with murder. I think the Bastard State is trying to remove life from the wrong individual in this case.

Former Teen Idol Bastard

Lying Bastard

Commie Bastard

Hillary Bastard Clinton
Check out were she goes on vacation: an old Jamaican plantation.

Enviromental Wacko Bastards.

If your going to be a left wing wacko, go all the way!

This guy did: Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey

He leaves no doubts in your mind that he is, indeed, a nut case. When Ventura ran for governor, I had my doubts about his mental health. With this guy, no question at all. Here a a couple of jems from his site:

I am a Satanic Dark Priest, Sanguinarian Vampyre and a Hecate Witch. My Magikal Path name is: Lord Ares.

I despise and hate the Christian God the Father. He is my enemy.

I co-own two Covens: Kat's UnderWorld Coven and J & J's UnderWorld Coven of Minnesota, along with a Luciferian Church: The Church of the Followers of Lucifer. The members of the Covens are: Vampyres, Witches, Pagans, Wiccans, Satanists, Demons and Other Kin. I preach about unity and protecting the US Constitution, and all the beliefs our Founding Fathers fought and died for.

In August 1988, while visiting a relative, I met a girl who was totally taken by me and who I was. She was hott and sexy, so I drove her home that night on my bike, and slept with her. Though I do not regret sleeping with her, in 1996 I found that she was my half-sister who I hadn't seen since 1970. Talk about letting your ego get the best of you.

What comment can I make? His site has a lot of 'interesting' stuff, like a supposed friendship with Jeb Bush.

He wants to be Governor of Minnesota and run for President.

Yikes.

I'm...I'm in love.

Bourbon-Pomegranate Molasses Beef Short Ribs w/ Broccoli Rabe


How could you NOT be in love. When I laid my eyes upon those ribs braised in pomegranate molasses and bourbon, dressed up with a little jalepeno heat, why, my heart just melted. I'm glad my wife seldom reads this blog, 'cause we'd be heading for counseling!

The only thing I would change is that I'd use beef stock instead of water, and if you can't find Broccoli Rabe, go with some Rosemary Roasted Potatoes or Rice.

Ray Nagin, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell walk into a bar...

Well...Ray decided to play all the left's greatest hits today in honor of MLK day: Racism, Iraq, and Hating America.

"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.

"Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."

Right. As soon as all that government money starts rolling in, they can take care of themselves. Until then, complain and demand.

"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans _ the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."

Ray Nagin: The Racist Prophet. Speaking for God. "A chocolate New Orleans". That's the way God wants it to be. No whites. No hispanics. Just blacks.

Can you believe that these people actually get away with saying this crap? Where is the out rage? Why aren't people speaking up in protest?

Because it was a failed liberal politician desperately trying to pad the vote so he can stay in power. And don't forget the millions of dollars that are going to be pouring into the area: you can't loose control of that money. Not in New Orleans, known for it's corruption.

In other New Orleans news, gunshots were fired during a New Orleans Unity Parade sending three people to local hospitals with minor wounds last Sunday. Thousands of people gathered for the festivity in support of the renewal of the city.

Well, pack my bags I'm heading for NOLA! Can't have a unity parade without shots fired!


Being a gourmand of sorts, I have always wanted to go to New Orleans. Not for Mardi Gras, but for the food. The wife and I were planning a vacation that would have involved dropping the child off at her sister's place in Texas and heading on over for the grand gourmet tour.

But now the 'mystique' is gone. All I can think about is the corruption, crime, and racism. I can cook the food myself, but there is something special about having it prepared and served to you. The atmosphere is essential, but the atmosphere down there no longer lends itself to enjoyment.

I think I'll wait until Ray Nagin is gone. Maybe I'll wait until they have a conservative government. After all, all the great Chefs have restaurants in Las Vegas now.

Helping out a friend.

A friend of mine, Mark Van Steenwyk, is a pastor and church planter in the West Bank area of Minneapolis. The West Bank is an extremely diverse part of town and home to several colleges. Mark and his wife, Amy, not only minister there, but live there as well. I want to point out that the word "diverse" very seldom means "opulent, peaceful, and crime free". For someone like myself, who has lived most of their life in rural isolation and mountain foot hills, it blows me away that someone can throw themselves head long into such an undertaking. I have just started coming to grips with living in the suburbs, but I still long for the country life (cue the 'Green Acres' theme ).

So anyway, Mark is involved in this:

Consumerism is the driving force in our society ‚—a spirit of our age. It is enmeshed within the fabric of our society. There are many critics to consumerism ‚—those who are rightly concerned about the destructiveness of consumerism when it comes to economic justice or environmental issues. However, consumerism also reaches deep into the heart of American spirituality. Consumerism shapes the way we relate to each other, to our society, and to our God. Christians need to intentionally and carefully navigate our consumer culture, responding to its dangerous complexities with a deepening awareness of its promises and perils. The Conference on Christianity and the Consumer Culture will be both informative, fostering a deeper understanding of consumerism and its role within our society, as well as formative, providing strategies for faithful living in light of the promises and perils inherent to our consumer culture.

I'm asking that you check out his blog, their church website, and the link to the conference, and if it strikes you as something you could promote or be a part of, well, please do.

Also, if you feel led to do so, feel free to send money. Mark's time is best spent on ministry, not fund raising. Back in the '60's and '70's a lot of churches fled the inner city for the safety of the suburbs because they didn't know how to deal with diversity: hippies and minorities. They left a spiritual void in those communities, and if you go to one of those churches, now is your chance to help someone who is "picking up the pieces".

It's a good way to wash the feet of someone who is really out there doing the stuff.

Oh, Canada!

Tax Payer Funded Study Recommends Repealing Polygamy Ban!

It's all for the children, of course:

A new study for the federal Justice Department says Canada should get rid of its law banning polygamy, and change other legislation to help women and children living in such multiple-spouse relationships.

Those kooky Kanucks!

"Why criminalize the behaviour?" Chief author Martha Bailey said in an interview. "We don't criminalize adultery.

"In light of the fact that we have a fairly permissive society ... why are we singling out that particular form of behaviour for criminalization?"

But there is a voice of reason (if you take out the same sex marriage part):

Another report for the project, also led by two Queen's University professors, dismisses the slippery-slope argument, saying that allowing same-sex marriages promotes equality while polygamous marriages are generally harmful to women's interests and would therefore promote inequality.

Liberal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said he has seen only a summary of the research reports, but already rejects lifting the criminal ban on polygamy.

"At this point, the practice of polygamy, bigamy and incest are criminal offences in Canada and will continue to be," he said from Montreal.

The report argues for the the protection of the rights of immirgrant women involved in legal polygamous marriages from Africa and the Arabic States. Rather than really helping them leave those repressive cultures and assimilate into Canadian culture, they would rather help the immirgrants maintain the staus quo. Oh, I forgot: Canada don't have a 'culture'.

The real problem here is that if they do lift the ban on polygamy, they aren't going to be flooded with African chieftains with multiple wives and rich Saudi princes with harems: they are going to be flooded with leftie wackos with high priced lawyers who have their eyes set on what is apparently the last bastion of family values left in the world. That's the United States, by the way.

Friday Night Food Thing II

I can't claim this recipe as my own. I don't know where I got it, quite possibly while in Culinary Arts school. Anyway, it's one of my favorites and I use it a lot in my catering business and at home. Feeds 12.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

This recipe is a series of fairly simple steps: Cook a white roux, sauté the vegetables, thicken the broth, and then stir it all together with some seasonings. The soup is then finished with cooked rice, chicken and whipping cream.

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup diagonally sliced carrot
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
(or just use green pepper)
2 cups frozen white or yellow corn, thawed
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium jalapeno pepper
1 gallon (16 cups) homemade or canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon white pepper
(or just use 1/2 teaspoon black pepper)
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (don't loose sleep over it if you don't have it)
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1½ pounds chicken breasts, cooked and diced (cook off the breast in the oven with a little salt and pepper, or cut up the breast and give them a quick saute. Don't over cook!)
3 cups cooked wild rice (You can find canned wild rice: 1 large)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Make the Roux:
Heat butter in a skillet set over medium heat until hot. Stir in flour. Cook over low heat 2 minutes, or until mixture becomes a paste, stirring constantly — do not brown. Set aside

Heat chicken fat or butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat until hot. Add celery, carrot, onion, green pepper and red pepper. Increase heat to medium-high; cook until onion is tender. Stir in corn, mushrooms and jalapeno. Cook until mushrooms begin to turn golden brown and shiny wet, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat. Bring broth to boil in an 8-quart stock pot. Stir in butter and flour mixture. Simmer until thickened, whisking like the dickens to prevent lumps. If you have lumps once it comes to a simmer, strain it. Or live with it. Stir in cooked vegetables, parsley, salt, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Add chicken, rice and whipping cream. Cook just until heated through.

Serves 12.

Bastard Report

Iranian Bastards


Mexican Bastards


Commie Bastards


Stupid Bastard


Self-Righteous Bastard
(H/T: Cathy)

Stupid Terrorist Bastards

Mexico Demands U.S. Allow More Immigration

Ya' know, the Mexican government has no spine what so ever. Stalin murdered and imprisoned all of his totally broke uneducated poor, politically incorrect ethnic groups, and criminals. So did Mao, Pol Pot, Mugabi, and a host of other despots. The Brits have there own dark history of dealing with the poor and non-British, and the US has had it's moments.

But the Mexican government, they don't even have the basic male body parts to do any of that. No, they look to the United States weak underbelly (it's porous borders, ineffectual catch-and-release immigration policies, and it's bleeding heart liberal politicians) and expect us to be a net to catch all of their refuse.

They whine about the U.S. wanting to control our borders as being inhumane because it separates families, but the real issue is that illegal immigration is the second largest industry in Mexico.

Mexicans working in the United States are a huge source of revenue for Mexico, sending home more than $16 billion in remittances in 2004, Mexico's second largest source of foreign currency after oil exports according to the country's central bank.

It's to bad that these poor are caught in the grip of a government system that is pretty much geared to keep them poor. Wait, that's what we call welfare!

Aguilar (V. Fox's spokesman) also said migrants "don't emigrate because they lack work, but rather for a series of other reasons, cultural reasons or better living conditions."

Yes. Other reasons. Lack of oppression. Oppurtunity. Better living Conditions.

Read the article here.