Victory!

Finally achieved success in Sequin Quest 2007. Arton Beads had a few (not very many colours; they cannot be aware that everyone in Toronto, asked where to find sequins, suggests their establishment) and the scary sewing store next door to them had a few. I bought some in every colour that seemed halfway reasonable, since I go through this every year. If all else fails, Google has brought me Cartwright's Sequins, except that since their minimum international order is $25 and each pack of sequins costs $1, that would really be a lot of sequins.

Started cutting out last night. I think this year's ornament is going to look really nice!

(no subject)

I'm not an academic, but I work with some, and damn does the maddeningly non-specific committee meeting ever sound familiar.

(One of my frequent work cries mutters: "Just TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO and I'll do it!")

Recipe: Barbecue-style baked beans

For ozreison. I got this recipe out of the Montreal Gazette many years ago and it's always been reliable -- a great meal for a cold day. You can serve it with sausage and French bread or eat on its own.

Soak 1 pound (500 g) dried white kidney, navy, cannelini or lima beans (I use navy beans) in cold water for six hours or overnight.

Drain the beans and place them in a casserole dish with 3 cups (750 mL) chicken stock.

Stick 3 whole cloves into half an onion (make sure the half onion is fairly structurally sound because it's going to be taking a lot of abuse and you need to extract it at the end of all this). Add to the casserole with a bay leaf and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.

Cover the dish tightly with foil or lid. Bake (I use a 350 oven) until beans are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (usually 1-2 hours). Remove from oven.

While the beans are cooking, fry 4 strips lean smoky bacon, chopped over medium heat in a large frying pan until crisp. Add 1 large onion, chopped (or the other half of the onion you used already, plus another medium onion) and cook until tender (about 3-5 minutes, onion should be translucent).

Add:
1 can tomatoes (the recipe calls for a 19-oz/540 mL can but I always use the standard 28-oz/798 mL and it works fine -- my preference is for diced tomatoes)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) cider vinegar
1/3 cup (75 mL) dark molasses
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each of dried thyme and oregano
1/4 to 1/2 tsp (1 to 2 mL) cayenne (recipe says the cayenne is optional but this is not so in my opinion)

Cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir tomato mixture into the beans. Put the casserole back in the oven. Bake, covered, until reduced and thickened, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Before you serve this, take out the bay leaf and the half onion with cloves. (Do not try to eat the onion. For some reason it does not taste good at all.)

Good luck! Let me know how it goes if you use it!

Why do I not have a food icon? This is very strange.

*sigh*

Dear reviewer:

Please do not ask me to replace "call your child's doctor right away" with "seek medical attention right away". Your alternative is abstract. It has needlessly complex words. It is not helpful. It pokes sharp sticks at the principles of plain language. If parents should not be calling their child's doctor, what should they be doing? Exactly? Multiple options are also acceptable.

Thanking you in advance for your kind attention,

ELL

breathtaking

This is the first I've heard about Ian Thow, asshole. Serve me right for not reading the financial sections with more attention.

What an unutterable sleaze. And yet he must have been very plausible and charming. Reading the ruling is not for those whose indignation circuits are apt to blow.