Frog Applause by Teresa Burritt for December 13, 2012

One thing I hate, is undercooked fiddlesticks ! For your information, Missy, I don’t have to bury my voles, they were eaten by Poles who thought they were Russian moles.

We know they’re dead because they’re volatile.

Re bald headed husbands: I suggest using Stabald, as I do. Removes unsightly cranial hair.

Let them dream of the thundering herds of voles on the Pampas.

If I give someone a wedgie, doesn’t that mean that they’ve been Brunched ?

I didn’t leave the raw fiddlesticks out for the voles to eat and get food poisoning. The voles were for Sunday brunch.

Why are you screwing (etc.) with those starched-collar elders at the left? What did they ever do to you?As, for my voles, I had them out on the counter because I was going to use them in making the big pot of soup. You do want dinner, don’t you?

My fiddlesticks are NEVER undercooked, thank you very much (would hate to lose another one to salmonella…)

You’ve got a point…………. at the top of your head.

Twenty-seven scintillating syllables today, for darn sure. And artwork to match!

When I first read the word “sauna” on the Blog, I saw “Santa,” and thought the gents in the pic were at some stage of an audition. Waiting for their close-ups, maybe.

I had a Volare in the ’80’s. A rolling pile of junk.

What?I brunch all the time.

My father used Wildroot.It didn’t help.

Miss Otis regrets she’s unable to brunch today, ladies.

Why do brunch when you can do both breakfast and lunch?

The trick is to blanch your fiddlesticks and peel them first.

BIRD BOOKIt’s the Sibley Guide to Birds. In my older edition, that’s page 532 & 533. The owner wrote on the page because the sciencey types have gone back and forth and back again on what to call the genus the birds are in.

.. in fact, don’t use the word “brunch” at all, it’s a hideous construct and a direct attack on civilization. Actually, couldn’t you just shut up completely? I’m trying to bake an egg here.

: }, good ’un

Whenever I try to eat underdone fiddlesticks I usually choke on the frogs

Fiddle stick.

Hey, Teresa, here is some lame art I made this week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJkDyCjNMoEI thought you would like it.

Dean Booth

I suppose that, with a few years of practice, a person could learn to use Photoshop as well as the person who stuck Frida’s head on Madonna’s body… I’ll put that on my list of things to do “someday.”

…still miss you, Sparky.

Re: Nessun Dorma- Heresy, blasphemy, and all that rot- but I still prefer Jackie Evancho’s version over Pavarotti’s, even though technically and anatomically she’s not a tenor.

Dear Teresa

Re: Kill Bill and Nessun Dorma videos

GET OUTTA MY HEAD!

Sincerely,

/s/ Rotifer M. Thalweg

P.S. to Bluskies: I think Nessun Dorma is The Most Beautiful Music in Recorded History, so I’ll check out the Jackie Evancho version. Thx for the tip.

That didn’t take long. WOW!

Re: Kill BillNo, I’m not going to watch those videos .. are you trying to get us in the traditional Christmas spirit, Teresa?

Re: Thanks for the link/Jackie Evancho

Don’t thank me, thank bluskies, who did the heavy lifting. All I did was the Googling.

Awesome film clips in the blog!

Blog question: Jar fills with heated air from candle. Candle uses up oxygen and goes out. Air cools, volume decreases. Pressure differential causes liquid to rise inside column.

Borscht

 The Hotel Utah, now only a memory, was famous for its borscht. CHEF GIRARD’S HOTEL UTAH BORSCHT 4 cups beet juice3 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth plus 1/2 cupJuice of 1 lemonSugar to tasteSalt to taste1/4 cup cornstarch1 cup sour cream1 or 2 egg yolksSour creamChopped parsleyHard-cooked eggs, dicedLemon wedges Bring beet juice and 31/2 cups broth to boil. Stir in the lemon juice, sugar and salt. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup broth and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into soup. Cook and stir until thickened. Combine sour cream and egg yolks. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot beet juice mixture into egg mixture. Then, stirring constantly, slowly add warmed eggs back to hot liquid. Heat without boiling. Strain. Serve hot or cold.Garnish with sour cream, parsley and eggs. Serve with lemon wedges.Makes 8 servings.

The cooks at Assumption Abbey in Richardton, ND make a borscht that is to die for. I know, for I’ve had it.

1/2 lb. ground bison (optional)2 cup chopped fresh beets1 cup chopped celery (optional)1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup chopped onions 2 cup water 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans beef broth (I used 1 can beef and 1 can vegetable, just because)1 cup shredded cabbage 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine 1 Tablespoon lemon juice sour cream or regular cream (optional) 1.In a saucepan, bring beets, carrots, onion, water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.2.If you’re using the bison in this soup, brown the meat in a frying pan; add the browned meat, with all the juices, to the saucepan. (If you’re substituting ground beef instead of bison, you may want to render off the fat first.)3.Add broth, cabbage and butter; simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes.4.Just before serving, stir in lemon juice.5.Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream if desired; or may be served with cream to add to taste. Makes 8 servings. For perfection, serve with hot buttered scones and honey.

I used a photo of the house depicted in the “Reclaimed by nature” posting as the reference for a painting that was printed on a paperback book. It was a different photo, but it was the same house. Of course I added and subtracted and created a more suitable “look” … it was a mystery after all.

Re: does anybody know…..Another neat trick utilizing the same principles is to get yourself an empty coke bottle ( any narrow necked bottle will do, ie. wine, soda, etc…. just so long as it is made of glass )Next, peel a hard boiled egg. Light a scrap of paper on fire and drop it into the bottle and quickly place the egg on top, narrow side down, and, Viola! Just what you’ve always wanted, an egg in a bottle!

coffee jokes?

Re: Itchy on the Blog…. when I lived in Montana & navigated 6 miles to the paved road… it was a frequent necessity to reach out the window and spank a stalled deer to get him/her out of my way

car window, that is…

Re: blog, Naturally-Colored StonesSome of them, at least, appear to me to petrified wood….

But have you seen a Pink Lady apple?

Such a warm reminder to eat more fruit.

Re: Big Bear stores-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bear_Stores

A little more sniffing for Van de Kamp’s Bakery leads to California, indicating that this particular Big Bear store was most likely located there, and not necessarily part of the Ohio chain, though the name may have been licensed.

Thanks for the heads-up! Another potential future superstar, if the critics and nay-sayers don’t kill her spirit and determination before she gets her career off the ground. Too many truly talented young people yield to that kind of negative pressure and stop believing in themselves.