Oscars: The winners, in case you missed it.
Blunt: Clinton says China doesn’t give a shit what we think about their record on human rights.
Ginsberg: Back at Supreme Court after surgery.
Bankrupt: Both Philadelphia daily newspapers.
Recession-Proof: Fast food chains continue to thrive.
Scared: Three of four Americans freaked about state of the nation.
But!: Forecasters predict recovery in second half of ’09.
Jindal: Time’s Joe Klein is not impressed.
210: Death toll in Australian fires rises.
Levy: Despite breakthrough in case, family still devastated.
Recipe of the Day: Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fresh Herb and Caper Chimichurri (Recipe and photo via Veggie Belly)
Roasted Parsnip Soup
serves about 4
2 parsnips chopped, about 2 cups
2 celery ribs roughly chopped
1 leek stalk cleaned and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves Garlic
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
A splash of white wine
½ tsp Turmeric for color, optional
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups lowfat milk
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Olive oil
Preheat oven to 400F
Scrub the parsnips clean. Chop off the ends. Chop the parsnips into cubes. Toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven till the parsnips are golden. I cut the parsnips pretty small, and it took me 20 minutes.
While the parsnips are roasting, heat a large, deep pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped celery, leeks, garlic and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high heat till the celery has softened a little — about 3 minutes. Now add the oregano and wine and cook another 1 minute till the wine bubbles and evaporates. Add the turmeric, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Then lower heat and Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it.
Add the roasted parsnips and milk to the stock. Place in a blender and puree into a soup — as smooth or chunky as you like.
Return the soup to the pot, and warm through before serving. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper. Remember, the stock has salt and the chimichurri is salty.
Fresh herb and Caper Chimichurri
makes about 1/4 cup
1 cup fresh Parsley leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh Oregano
Capers — 1 ½ tbsp plus 1 tbsp of the brine (or use pitted green or kalamata olives instead)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine)
1 tbsp stock or water
1 garlic clove
A pinch of Crushed red pepper, more if you like it hot
Salt to taste
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a coarse paste.
At the rate we are borrowing money soon the Chinese we be telling us what they expect from us on human rights.
We’ve maxed out the National Credit Card but we spent it on crap that won’t address the core problem (housing) and when the administration gets a clue and wants to go back for another $Trillion the interest rate is going to be a lot higher.
most, if not all, of those ‘forecasters’ never thought we’d get into the situation we’re in now– so in my opinion, their forecasts are worth jack shit.
What I found remarkable is that 21% polled thought things were going well in the country! Maybe they own fast food franchises.
Last night’s Oscars were the first I missed completely in the past 40+ years. From the reviews I read this morning, they were the worst produced and executed Oscars ever. Trying to appeal to the youth market by turning it into American Idol was a bad idea. Say what you want, but the Oscars always had a bit more dignity than the Golden Globes. Also, now, there are so many award shows leading up to the Oscars (Globes, SAG, Independent Spirit, etc.) that the Oscars should stand apart. Next year they need to find a single great host of the stature of a Steve Martin or Johnny Carson, but if they use Hugh Jackman again, he should be forced to do the whole show as Wolverine.
Finally, the “In Remembrance” section should be half-hour special in itself. It is always the best part of the show.
Don’t tell me you’d actually eat that glop. Ewww.
Also: this guy, what’s his name Obama? Anyway he had a big meeting on his proposed budget this morning. And it contains:
-letting Bush tax cuts expire (! that’s good)
-lots of cuts, he wants to cut the whole deficit in half in 4 years (continuing that Clintonian “yes Democrats are fiscally responsible” thing, that’s good)
-he’s starting to talk about entitlement reform (now that’s change, and that’s brave, too).
Arnold S. and Crist got shout outs for helping pass the stim package also some Democrats.
The article about Ginsberg is funny; it’s apparently not okay to have a one-sentence news article (“Justice Ginsberg is doin’ okay, back at work”) – so the reporter had to stretch it by point out that, among other things, Ginsberg was dressed like a supreme court justice when she went back to work, and that she sat in her usual seat next to her colleagues… wow. earth-shattering.
Anyway, she seems like a good one- glad she’s better now.
FYI, parsnips = carcinogenic. so, moderation & shit. throw some turnips & rutabagas in there.
put a slab of bacon fat in that so i can boast the internet how I like to eat bacon fat. lot of people arent cool enough to boast on the internet that they eat bacon fat but i am. i really am that cool. maybe cooler
@4: I liked the Oscars. But I also like the Eurovision Song Contest, so I may not be the best judge.
@4: I found them to be the most entertaining Oscars I have ever seen. The quality of filming wasn’t that great, but I don’t care. I was so impressed, I don’t understand the critism.
no one but an indocrinated veggie can eat parsnips
yuk
there is a reason they are raised – to feed the pigs and cows in winter
China never did care about what America wanted.
So?
Seriously, the only country they halfway care about their opinion on now is maybe Canada, due to the upcoming Olympics and trade status.
Happy Renter’s right. 2008 saw economics proven not to be a science after all. These people have no power to predict even the biggest trends in their supposed subject. Why should we believe them now?
What? Parsnips are delicious. You’ve got to roast them until they’ve caramelized a little. Much snappier than carrots.
Parsnips are pretty yummy, actually. Try the PCC’s parsnip mashed potatoes sometime as a gateway dish. But… carcinogenic?! WTF?
PS: “Entertaining for a Veggie Planet” by Didi Emmons has a quite excellent recipe for Creamy Parsnip Soup with Horseradish. Recommended.
Yeah, sadly we’ve lost all of our moral authority on human rights anyway with our failed wars, occupations, gulags, kidnapping and torture schemes.
Besides, all the Chinese have to do is stop buying our T-Bills and it’s “hello, American Mad Max-style Hellpocalypse.”
They could crush our nation with a phone call.
THrow some foie gras in that dish and it might be edible.
Parsnips are much like brussels sprouts in that they must be prepared well, or they’re really, really terrible.