Fallen leaves

The difference between Fox News and the MSM ...

Is that one is not a news organization.

Elkhart Lake woman hurt in Sheboygan County crash

By Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Oct. 25, 2009 11:08 a.m.

A 53-year-old Elkhart Lake woman was listed in fair condition Sunday morning at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah after the Ford Danger Ranger she was driving ran into a ditch, struck a tree and rolled over on County Highway P in the town of Rhine.

Debra Tracey was headed northbound on Highway P and started to drift eastward, crossed over the center line and then over-corrected her vehicle and ran into the ditch, said Lt. Mark Rupnik, of the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department. Rupnik said Tracey was ticketed for operated a motor vehicle while intoxicated. She did have her seatbelt on when the accident occurred, Rupnik said.

Emergency workers had to extract Tracey from her vehicle. She was taken by helicopter to Theda Clark.

Not a fan of SUV's, eh Mark?

Too good not to post

Thanks Lakeshore Laments

Why did I know this was going to be Contessa Brewer?

MSNBC anchor mistakes Jesse for Al.

Still the polished news professional she was in Milwaukee.

By popular demand - Tomato-Fresh Ricotta Pie Recipe

The recipe from Mrs. Headless for her Tomato-Fresh Ricotta Pie is something like this.

1 partially baked pie shell (Mrs. Headless used a 10-1/2" tart pan)

Filling:
1 recipe of homemade ricotta (see below)
2 eggs
1/2 container of Brennan's Mozzarella & Basil Cheese Spread (you can use a different cheese spread or 1 cup of shredded cheese)

Mix the eggs and cheese spread into the hot ricotta to melt and evenly distribute.

Toppings:
1 chopped garden fresh heirloom tomato (Mrs. H used a Brandywine)
1/2 pound bacon, cooked until crisp then crumpled
Homemade croutons (Mrs. Headless cooked these in the bacon grease)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Assembly & Baking:
Assemble ingredients in pie shell and bake in a 350 degree oven until warmed through, about 30 minutes.

That's how she did it. I'm sure your variation will be fabulous, too.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I quart whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 scant tsp coarse salt
2 TBSP white vinegar

Line a strainer with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl.

Rinse a large saucepan with cold water (for easier cleanup). Pour milk and cream into saucepan and add the salt. Bring to simmer over medium heat; a skin may form on the surface. Continue to cook until you see bubbles all over the surface.

When the milk is simmering, turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar. Leave it alone for about 1 minute, then stir slowly and gently. The milk will start separating into curds and whey; you are looking for the whey to become clearish, which will take about 1 minute of gentle stirring.

Pour into strainer. Lift the strainer out of the bowl and pour out the whey from the bowl. Then set the strainer back in the bowl and let the cheese drain for 15 minutes.

The ricotta is now ready to use or serve.

UFO Boy - Tinfoil Hat Dad

The father of a 6-year-old boy who was thought to be in a helium balloon that floated away said Friday accusations that the ordeal was a publicity stunt are "extremely pathetic." The sheriff said he will be asking more questions.

Richard Heene and his family made the rounds on all three television networks on Friday, and the boy at the center of the saga got sick twice when he and his father were asked during separate interviews what he meant when he said that "we did this for a show."

Falcon Heene vanished around the time his family's homemade helium balloon floated away from their home on Thursday, setting off a national uproar as authorities scoured the plains of northern Colorado for the youngster. Turns out, he was hiding in the rafters of the family's garage.

During a live interview with CNN Thursday night, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name but didn't come out of the attic hiding place because his father "had said that we did this for a show." The boys' parents — Richard and Mayumi Heene — are storm chasers who appeared twice in the ABC reality show "Wife Swap."

Setting aside the allegations of this being a hoax, how is having a flying machine with a child-size basket in the backyard any different than having a loaded handgun on the kitchen table?

Where is CO's Division of Child Welfare in this story?

UPDATE: Here's the answer to the second question.

Perhaps Chuckie Johnson is right about Stacy

Connect the dots.

• Stacy McCain's hatred of all things Wisconsin
• Wisconsin - The birthplace of the Republican Party
• The Republican Party was formed as an anti-slavery party
• Johnson calls McCain a white supremacist
  

Hmmmmm.

Don't Be Bitter

I really want that bottle of bitters.

So I'm trying to meticulously follow the contest entry instructions posted here.

The fact is that my Famous Rum Old Fashioned recipe is good, but is missing that special ingredient that would make it my Brilliant Rum Old Fashioned recipe. That missing ingredient comes in a bottle that reads "Beefeater 24 Bitters."

The recipe is Stephan’s secret but he did tell me that lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and ‘a few different types of citrus’ are featured.

That sounds exactly like what I need for my cocktail. Let's make it happen. The rules say.

Post a submission on your blog or website and include the photo of the Beefeater 24 bitters (please download it here and host it yourself) and the title “Don’t Be Bitter” to make it official. Then, use the post as a “shout out” to another cocktail blogger—discuss a time when you were jealous of (or “bitter” about) another blogger’s booze collection, prized bottle of liquor, a cocktail-related trip they took, or an experience they had. Put any bitterness aside and share the link-love with your fellow cocktail bloggers. Make sure you link back to this post so your name gets thrown in the hat. You’ve got the whole month of October to get your post up [final deadline: 11:59pm Eastern time, 10/31/09] and the winner will be announced here the first week of November. Get on board, bitters-lovers!

How am I doing:

1. Post submission with photo - see above.

2. Title post "Don't Be Bitter" - done.

3. Shout out to cocktail blogger - Hey Fat Sal, who could that be?

Jealous me? Not since Absinthe became available in the good ol' U.S. of A.

But there was a time in a dark era of our history when Fat Sal was virtually just the proprietor of a Tapas Bar. Back then he made sure to let me know that Absinthe was for he, but not for me (the link on his page is broken, go here for Sal's eloquent Absinthe dissertation). But now Fat Sal and I have made up and occasionally go so far as to share massive quantities of Smoke Day barbecue, encased meats, and Atomic Camel Turds.

4. Link back - done again.

Send me my Beefeater 24 Bitters, bitte.

Barack's Olympic trip

That trip to Denmark sums up Obama's Presidency in a nutshell.

• A lot of tedious talk
  
• Loads of wasted money
• Reliance on Barack's charismatic appeal
• Failure to achieve Obama's stated desired result

I guess Mark needs me to spell it out

Yeah, on today's show Belling repeated my points from yesterday's post. But he never made it to the logical conclusion. So I'll do this slowly for you Mark.

Yes Mark, a roundabout costs more than stop signs or traffic signals. And yes, DOT planners prefer roundabouts Mark.

But where your giant analytical brain didn't take you Mark, is that Wisconsin's roadbuilders also prefer roundabouts. And these for profit roadbuilders have good reason to prefer roundabouts. That reason is because they cost more to build, and therefor they make more profit.

These roadbuilders are also big contributors to Governor Doyle and his Democratic colleagues. Let me know if you need help making the giant leap from Jim Doyle's political contributors to DOT preferences for road design.