Administrativia

This week: Swedish Meatballs For the meatballs... 1 cup minced onions 2 tbsp. butter 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (unflavored) 1 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. all spice 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 3/4 lbs. ground chuck 3/4 lbs. ground pork Saute onions in butter until soft. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine egg, milk, bread crumbs and spices. Add meat and onions; mix until well blended. Shape into 1 1/4" balls. Place in two lightly buttered 13x9 baking dishes. Bake @ 350F until lightly browned. Transfer meatballs to an oven-proof serving dish or casserole. Scrape fat drippings from baking pans into a saucepan. For the sauce... 3 tbsp. flour 2 tsp. sugar 1 1/4 tsp. salt "dash" of black pepper 1 cup beef stock 3/4 cup half and half or cream To the drippings, stir in flour, sugar, salt and pepper. Slowly add beef stock and half-and-half; stir over low heat until sauce thickens. Pour over meatballs and serve. Note: You can make the meatballs up ahead of time a

St. John Church / Heritage Plaza (background) Sam Houston Park Heritage Society In 1891, German farmers built this country church in northwest Harris County for their Evangelical Lutheran congregation. It still has its original altar-pulpit and cypress plank pews. The church was given to the Heritage Society by the congregation in 1968.

One of the problems with "movement" politics is that the movement followers tend to want purity over pragmatism... this kind of energy is great, if tempered by leadership that knows how to harness the fervor without engendering a backlash. It's a fine line to walk -- and harder to accomplish: you risk ticking people off that might normally support you and you risk losing support from your followers when you transgress into what they perceive as heresy. I wonder when the "disappointment moment" will happen with Obama... and whether that will be enough to tamp down his base of "new" support. (Of course the flip side is the Clinton campaign, which banked on experience and competence, but failed to ignite the kind of passion -- however short-lived -- of the Obamaniacs. My hope is that Hillary be given the opportunity to become Obama's LBJ, should she not pull off winning Texas and Ohio.)

Woodway Bridge over I-59... one of the "gateway" bridges into downtown that are marked with bright red fineals and fiber optics outlining the arches that change colors at night. (Although I took the original photo in color, I like it better with in black & white because of the contrasts.)

For some reason, I've been banned by John Aravosis on AmericaBlog -- probably because I noted that he's become increasingly shrill in his commentary rather than reasoned in his approach. Yet other hateful comments are left. Oh well -- his blog has jumped the shark... and now comes off my favorites list and blog role.

More from the sculpture garden at Reliant Park... The trail riders are just a couple of days from camping out at Memorial Park. http://www.hlsr.com/wh/wh_tr.aspx

15 days to go before this 19th annual AIDS Walk Houston... and if you happen to stumble on this blog and would like to support the Walk -- http://www.aidshelp.org/goto/chevron is my starting place. I'll be there -- walking and taking pictures -- and will post a recap afterwards. (This is a weird year in terms of timing -- usually, I'm done with the Rodeo by the time the walk is here, and the only timing conflict is with Mardis Gras. Instead, the walk is right in the middle of International Days at the Houston Rodeo, which makes it rather jam-packed schedule-wise.)

This week -- dessert for a change: Lemon Squares! 2 cups sifted flour 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar 1 cup butter 4 eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 1/3 cup lemon juice Blend flour and powdered sugar. Cut in butter. Press into 13x9 baking pan. Bake @ 350F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, but do not over cool. Beat eggs until frothy. Add granulated sugar and lemon juice. Mix well. Pour egg mixture over hot baked crust. Replace pan in oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still hot. Cool and cut into bars for serving. Note: It's important to sift the flour and the powdered sugar so you get an evenly textured crust that will absorb part of the lemon-egg mixture. I've tried it both ways and the sifting does make a difference. Best way? Combine the flour and powdered sugar and sift together for maximum blending.

That time of year is fast approaching Rodeo season... The weather is unstable (hot to cold, sunny to rain) but you can always tell when the trail riders are on their way. (It get's really cold and rainy.) This photo is of part of the western art sculpture garden on the grounds of Reliant Center -- next to the Astrodome -- probably one of the larger collections of the genre you'll find anywhere.

Unfortunately no camera available (Smith Driving!)... but I have to say, sitting behind a Prius at an intersection downtown and watching the driver hang her cigarette out of the window and then flick it to the ground when the light turned was an interesting juxtaposition.

At a local watering hole this last weekend: Man 1: "I think it's an act." Man 2: "I'm telling you... I've been to rehab. Those people are crazy." (The quote in the title is from Juanita, one of the bar flies and one of my favorite characters in "Sordid Lives".)

It's kind of fun to actually see some real campaigning and activism for a change (we're used to being treated like an ATM by both parties -- the Dems because they've given up on Texas for some reason and the GOP because they believe the state is sewn up.) Early voting starts today around the state -- I'm going vote on Friday. Election day (March 4th) also happens to be day 2 of the Houston Rodeo, which means I'll be tied up out at Reliant (and not in a good way). I'm hopeful that I can break away to attend the precinct caucus after the polls close. Photos: Hillary supporters in Montrose. (Normally you would see Falung Gong protesters in this area as the Chinese Consulate is about a block away... nice to see a different crowd on the way to Starbucks.)

6 slices thick bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 pounds beef (boneless chuck eye, rolled rump roast or bottom round roast) cut into 1-inch cubes 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups red wine (burgundy or other dry red) 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 bay leaf 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon instant beef boullion 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon pepper 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced 4 medium onions sliced 2 tablespoons margerine or butter Snipped parsley French bread Fry bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon and reserve. Coat beef with flour; cook and stir beef in hot bacon fat until brown. Drain excess fat from Dutch oven. Add wine and just enough water to cover beef. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, salt, bouillion, thyme and pepper. Heat to boiling: reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Cook and stir mushrooms and onions in butter over medium heat until onions are tender. Stir mushrooms, onions and reserved bacon into stew. Cover an

With enough fanfare to break into the he-said / he-said Congressional testimony of Roger Clemens and admitted liar Macnamee, the President signed the so-called economic stimulus package today. Perhaps because I won't be getting a "rebate" (aka, money borrowed against next year's tax return), I'm a little less sanguine about the whole thing. Anecdotally though, I did an informal survey of friends who would be getting a check (eventually, some time in June) -- most would use the money to pay down their credit card. The next largest group would sock it away in savings -- just in case the recession turns down more or gets more drawn out. Only a couple of people are thinking about using the "windfall" for a spending spree. Interestingly, this break-down follows what most tracking polls nationally have found. The upshot? The government is borrowing a little over $150 billion against next year's tax receipts (printing money), of which about 80% will go tow

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ This "tests" your unconcious attitudes -- likes and dislikes -- by looking at pictures and word associations (positive / negative) vs. response time. It was quite interesting.

Angel of the Confederacy Tucked into Sam Houston Park (down below the flood line) Note: Maybe it's just me, but why does public artwork like this always look like a Tom of Finland knock-off?

One of the observations that most folks (even the pundits) have noticed is the generational difference (perhaps) between the Obamaniacs and the Hillbots. My biggest problem is that Gen Y or Gen Whine as I call them is an entirely untested voting group. My experience with this generation is that they expect, want, crave attention -- and when they don't get it, they bitch and moan and walk away. They are overwhelmingly unwilling to "play" when they think that the "process" is to onerous or time-consuming. They are the text-message generation and don't believe or support anyone who doesn't kow-tow to their particular sensibilities. Don't pet them -- and they walk. Which is why Obama is wonderful for them -- they get all the stroking they need and a blank slate that they can write their own story upon. Hillary has a problem with this group -- they don't like details. Details are something that are supposed to be taken care of for them. (Which is

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (lean) 1 medium onion (chopped fine) 1 tsp minced garlic 2 jars spaghetti sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 cups grated cheddar 1 cup grated mozzarella 1 cup monterey jack 8 English Muffins (split and quartered) In a skillet, mix and brown ground beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Drain thoroughly. In a large double boiler, bring spaghetti sauce to a simmer. Add beef and stir. Add cheeses (1/4 cup at a time) while stirring until melted completely. Reduce heat to low and cover. Continue to stir occasionally until ready to serve. Arrange english muffins quarters on a baking sheet. Lightly toast in oven. To serve: transfer sauce to a fondue pot, chafing dish or crock pot; use toasted english muffin quarters for dipping Note: I typically get the sauce with mushrooms, but you can embellish the recipe with all sorts of different topping types (add some sausage, pepperoni or other veggies to the mix).

The rules for choosing the delegates in Texas are a little different than everywhere else (of course), but are not what AS lays out in his Daily Obama. A poster on the blog that AS links to as a sign that the great O will trump the evil HRC corrects the record: Joe Garland, on February 6th, 2008 at 7:41 pm Said: This paints an inaccurate picture of how delegates to the Democratic convention are chosen in Texas. An explanation of the process for selecting delegates can be seen at the Texas Democratic Party’s website: http://www.txdemocrats.org/page/-/howto08.pdf …and a full list of the rules can be seen here: http://www.txdemocrats.org/the_party/article_vii_national_delegate_selection_rules While it is true that 126 delegates are chosen through the caucus process, party rules state that for this subset, “the number of delegates awarded each candidate is based on the results of the Presidential Primary in that district.” Precinct “conventions” are held the night of the primary election

As I listen to the MSM narrative of Obama is bringing in record numbers of new / independent voters, I wondered if there were any actual numbers to back that up -- as opposed to the meme that Hillary has hit a ceiling. I'm just now starting to crunch the numbers -- and maybe this isn't the right comparison -- but if you look at the MA vote (2004 Primary / 2004 General / 2008 Primary) -- from CNN vote totals: Kerry (2004 Primary) = 440,929 Total (2004 Primary) = 598,929 Kerry (2004 General) = 1,803800 Compared with Clinton / Obama in the 2008 Primary Clinton (2008 Primary) = ~611,839 @ 11:30 EST Obama (2008 Primary) = ~433,394 @ 11:30 EST Total Dem Primary Vote = short of 2004 general election total by ~ 700,000 votes; but beats primary vote total by about 400,000 votes. Interestingly, Hillary beats the total 2004 primary vote total in MA but Obama's total is less than Kerry's primary vote total. This is just one state, but I chose MA first because of the Kennedy factor.

From Todd Beeton on MyDD: I'm Voting For Hillary Clinton (well thought out and more eloquent than I) From Brownsox on DailyKos: I Voted For Hillary Clinton More to come, I'm sure.

I am, admittedly, firmly in the Hillary camp -- but unlike more than a few Obama supporters (like his wife), I will enthusiastically support whomever becomes the Democratic nominee. My problems with Obama have as much to do with his statements and positions as with many of supporters. Michael Chabon's paean in the Wapo yesterday was typical -- you must support Obama or you're naive, uninformed, cowardly, a closet racist or any number of reasons that have nothing to do with making informed choices about a candidate. So many of the Obama-ites see what they want as they gaze at the object of their affection. He is the blank slate that their fantasies can be drawn upon. Andrew Sullivan swoons in post after post -- when not spewing bile about Hillary... and everyone talks endlessly about "hope". The latest narrative: Obama = JFK & Camelot reborn. Blech. Sorry to break it to those that actually read and follow history. JFK was elected by the tiniest margins, was a woman

Smithsonian sculpture garden Washington, DC

At SFO, Friday afternoon, waiting to board the flight home to Houston... (referring to a de-planing "passenger"' with hands covered by a t-shirt to hide the fact he was handcuffed and being escorted by two plainclothes cops) Man #1: Like the tatooed skull wasn't scary enough. Man #2: Please. I've seen your dates. Man #1: Guilty -- check out the cops. Man #2: Do you ever quit? (Imitation = flattery = Joe.My.God )

This Week: Southwest Egg Bake 1/2 lb. bulk breakfast sausage or chorizo sausage 8 large eggs 2 tbsp. milk or half & half 2 cups shredded cheddar 1 can of whole green chiles salt & pepper to taste Brown sausage in skillet until no longer pink. Cool in frig to room temp. Beat together eggs, milk or half & half, salt and pepper. Butter the bottom of an 8 X 8 baking dish or 10" round baking dish. Layer cooked sausage, green chiles and cheddar cheese. Pour egg mixture over all. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Note: Be sure to cool the sausage prior to layering in the pan -- if it's too hot, the eggs will cook as you pour -- at which point, you can switch gears, pour it all back into the skillet and make migas.