WELCOME TO OBAMACARE!

Meet Dr. Hasan, your new government physician.

Missing the point, again

Oh my!

A new test conducted for Consumer Reports magazine found bisphenol A leaching into food from nearly all cans, including those marked "BPA-free" and "organic."

The magazine's tests found that levels of the chemical in many of the cans were comparable to those found to cause cell damage and behavioral effects in animal studies.

The results, which are to be published Tuesday in the magazine's December issue, echo those found last year in tests conducted by the Journal Sentinel.

So according to this report, unsafe levels of BPA are in virtually everything we eat. But humans show none of the adverse effects found in lab animals. I think I am safe to conclude that the BPA lab tests are non-relevant to humans.

Like Churchill wearing a swastika

Stephen and Andrew Hayes provide a chronology of the 2008 Favre retirement story. Much of this has been forgotten, but the facts show that Favre was intent on joining the Vikings even before he "retired" in March 2008.

On March 3, 2008, the Packers held a press conference announcing Favre’s retirement. His final season had been a successful one. The Packers went 13–3 and made it to the NFC Championship game. And though Favre had thrown a bad interception to lose that game, he had played like a quarterback a decade younger than his 37 years.

Within weeks, though, Favre changed his mind. When he told the Packers that he wanted to unretire, the organization welcomed him back and made arrangements to have one more season with their Hall of Fame quarterback. Then, just days later, Favre changed his mind again. He was done. That was it. No question. Career over.

Favre had done this before. At the end of each of his final three seasons in Green Bay, Favre had mused publicly about retirement, setting off nearly full-time media speculation about his future and the future of the franchise. But this time felt different. While he and his agent, Bus Cook, repeatedly assured reporters that he’d get around to it at some point, he refused to make it official by filing his papers with the NFL.

...

Then in early July, as the season approached, Favre tried to return to the Packers again. This time, however, the Packers hesitated. They were understandably worried that he wasn’t serious about coming back and, having named Rodgers the starting quarterback, were concerned about the damage that would be done to the team if they acceded to the demands of their former star.

So the Packers turned him down. Favre wasn’t happy. At first, he demanded his release. Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King, a frequent recipient of scoops from Favre, reported that Favre’s first choice was Minnesota. Wisconsin media outlets reported that Favre had already approached the Vikings.

It is pretty clear that Favre had no loyalty to the Packers, even after their near NFC Championship in 2008. He saw riding Adrian Peterson to the Super Bowl was his last, best chance to get there.

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.

Belling naive about traffic circles

Entertaining segment on Belling today about the troubles people are having negotiating the roundabouts at Moorland Road and I-43 in New Berlin. He doesn't get why these things are so darned popular with the DOT and Madison politicians.

Let me explain.

4 Stop signs - Cost: Less than $1,000

Traffic circle at intersection of two 2-lane roads - Cost: More than One Million Dollars.

Any questions?

Good news for Bears fans

Jay Cutler looked like a young Brett Favre last night! Or maybe it was an old Brett Favre. You remember those games.

UPDATE:

I wasn't alone in that thought.

As veteran Packers reporter Tom Silverstein said after the game, "Brett Favre was back.'' He made those types of interceptions. Just didn't look to play with much poise, especially when the game was so close. It's one thing to make bad decisions trailing big. The Bears were never trailing big.

H/T - ACME Packing Company

The Great Brat Challenge - Bracketology

Finding the Best Bratwurst in Wisconsin

This is a rundown of the bracket results from Sunday's Great Brat Challenge. There were numerous surprises, well beyond ALDI's second place finish.

This is the final list of bratwurst entries.

• Christman Meat
• Eden Meat Market
  
• Glenn’s Market
• Gooseberry’s
• Hoelsy's
• Jacobson Bros.
• J.L. Richards
• Johnsonville
• Karl’s Country Market
• Klement's
• Konop’s
• Kramarczuk's (from Minneapolis)
• Loehr's Meat Service
  
• Miesfeld’s
• Mr. Baseball's Brats (made for Uke by Usinger's)
  
• Ray's Meats
  
• Ream's Elburn Market (from Elburn, IL)
• RJ's Meats
  
• Roseland Bratwurst - aka, Mystery Brats II - aka, ALDI brats
  
• Roundy's - aka, Mystery Brats
  
• Ruef's
• Sausage Haus
  
• Schmeisser's Homemade Sausages (from Niles, IL)
  
• Schwai's
• Sendik's Fine Foods
• Sheboygan Brat Company
  
• Sorg's
• Spar's (from Buffalo, NY)
• Thuringer Meats (from Arlington Heights, IL)
  
• Usinger's

The poultry brat participants were:

• Glenn’s Market Turkey Brats
• Karl’s Country Market Turkey Brats
• Miesfeld’s Chicken Brats
• RJ's Meats Chicken Brats

The voting at the taste-off was conducted as a blind tasting. Each bratwurst was cut into several bite-size pieces and my guests sampled 3 or 4 at a time and voted for their favorite. The samples were unadorned by bun or condiments, so the results are not reflective of what you eat around your backyard grill (see note at end of post).


(Photo swiped from Fat Sal)

I should have limited the amount of samples in the first round, because my judges quickly were filled up and became rather sick of bratwurst by the final round. The taste-off took 5 hours from the first tasting until the championship vote was cast.

About the Judges

This wasn't just a bunch of Cheesehead yahoos picking their favorites. Yes we had assorted Milwaukee area food lovers, but we also had several food and dining professionals judging. They included an encased meats educator, an online ethnic restaurant critic, the creator of a champion commercial barbecue sauce, and an online beverage and spirits commentator.

Analysis of The Great Brat Challenge Results

"Champion Bratwurst"

This exercise in insanity began with my wanting to pit 4 bratwurst makers that advertise themselves as "Champion" against each other. The four are Glenn's Market, Karl's Country Market, Miesfeld's and RJ's Meats. Of these four "Champions," only RJ's advanced out of the first round. Both Karl's and Glenn's missed advancing by one vote, Karl's losing to Mr. Baseball and Glenn's losing to Usinger's. You can read whatever you want into Usinger's producing Mr. Baseball's Brats.

Of special note is Miesfeld's, often held up as the standard for bratwurst excellence in Wisconsin, and more importantly, in Sheboygan. Miesfeld's received only one vote in its first round heat.

Mass Produced Brats

Johnsonville, Roundy's, Klement's, Usinger's, Mr. Baseball, Roseland, and Sheboygan Brat Co. are what I consider mass produced brats. Surprising to me, many of these did well against the specialty sausage makers, with all but Johnsonville and Roundy's advancing from the first round. Both Roseland and Sheboygan Brat Co. made it to the finals, and Usinger's missed advancing by one vote.

Johnsonville, like their Sheboygan County neighbor Miesfeld's, deserves special recognition for receiving only 2 votes, less than even the storebrand Roundy's received.

High-End Grocery Brats

I have 3 brats that I would include in this category - Sendik's, Gooseberry's, and J.L. Richards. They are from the meat section of grocers/caterers, not from a stand-alone butcher or sausage maker. I found all three of these to be forgettable, although Gooseberry's did advance to the second round.

Flatlander Bratwurst

Perhaps this is a precursor to the result of this week's Packers-Bears game. Of the 3 brat entries from Illinois - Ream's, Schmeisser's and Thuringer - none advanced out of the first round.

Ream's bratwurst held a special distinction in yesterday's contest. Of the 30 different competitors, Ream's was the only bratwurst to receive 0 votes. ZERO! A complete shutout.

Ream's call themselves "Fine Illinois Bratwurst," their emphasis, not mine. Indeed, no better description is possible.

Flying Sausages

The poultry brats were disdained by the meat eaters yesterday with one exception. Karl's Country Market's turkey brats were judged to be the best and were described as the most like a pork bratwurst.

The Champion

By the time the final rolled around, I let a few of my non-voting helpers know that ALDI had advanced this far. When the voting commenced, it was clear that Roseland (ALDI) and Schwai's were the leaders. I asked my assistant to taste some samples just in case there was a tie.

When the votes were counted, Roseland and Schwai's were deadlocked. My assistant cast his vote for Schwai's (he did not know the brat identities) and another late voter showed up and chose Schwai's. Thusly, a cultural tragedy far exceeding Brett Favre in a purple jersey was averted.

The Sheboygan Bratwurst Co. offerings were new to me. I'd seen their Google Ad show up here, but the first time I saw them offered in a store was at Woodman's a couple weeks ago. They did very well, reaching the final round, as well as receiving the most votes of any brat in a single round with 13 votes in the first round. At $1.99 a pound at Woodman's, Sheboygan Brat Co. brats are a bargain, too.

Wrap-up

It was a super event, and attended by some of the World's worst bloggers, but never again. In this format it took too long to complete and I was on the verge of losing control a couple times (I misplaced my numbered entry list once which was needed to decipher the results).

Hopefully, this will provide you some useful guidance when you go shopping for superior encased meats.

Follow-up: In the interest of science, my family did a mini-taste test again tonight, this time serving the brats on buttered City Bakery hard rolls. This second element changes the taste perception of certain brats greatly. Bottom line, some of the "Champions" are Champions for a reason.

The Great Brat Challenge - Champion

Salvaging the pride of the Great State of Wisconsin by vanquishing bratwurst from IL, MN, NY, and points unknown (ALDI?!?), the winner of the The Great Brat Challenge is:

• Schwai's Tender Hometown Bratwurst from Fredonia, WI

Congratulations to Tommy and Mike Schwai for their victory in this ultimate brat throwdown.

The Great Brat Challenge - 1st Runner-up

It came down to tie-breaker after this one tied for first, but what an outstanding showing for:

• Roseland Bratwurst

That's Roseland as in ALDI tying for first. A very sad day for most Badger State bratwurst.

The Great Brat Challenge - 2nd Runners-up

From 30 entries, these two were the also rans in the final heat.

• Kramarczuk's (from Minneapolis)
• Sheboygan Bratwurst Company

I pledge

No, not that tripe. Try this instead.