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hErDIng sQUirReLs
8Jan/09Off

Oh, the delicious nuttiness


In a way, I'm not surprised. At all.

The New York Post's Page Six reports:

BARBIE and Ken are beloved by millions of children - but the people behind the world's most popular dolls were involved in unsavory sexual behavior they kept secret for years, a new book reveals.

In "Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel," out next month, Jerry Oppenheimer reveals that Jack Ryan, the Yale-educated designer who popularized Barbie, was a "full-blown seventies-style swinger" with "a manic need for sexual gratification."

And Barbie isn't the only one with a sordid past. Ken has his issues, too.

Barbie and Ken were named after the kids of Mattel founders Ruth and Elliot Handler - an honor that plagued Ken, who "grew up embarrassed and humiliated by having an anatomically incorrect boy doll named after him . . . [with] no hint of genitalia."

Despite marrying and having three kids, Ken was a closeted gay, Oppenheimer says. "To all those who knew him Ken Handler was a wonderful father, a loving husband . . . But there was another side to Ken. And in 1990 he was formally diagnosed with AIDS. His parents and wife were shocked." He died in 1994 in Greenwich Village, but obits didn't mention the disease.

Humorously shocking to me was the Post's use of "gay" as a noun. It smacks of such old-school, politically-incorrect leanings, like using "colored" or "oriental".

Read the full story here.

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8Jan/09Off

I love cake.

I am a huge cake-baking fanatic, for reasons completely unknown to me. I have somehow developed a passion for baking cakes and an appreciation for the artists that bake as well.

Hence, this cake.

Speechless.

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6Jan/09Off

Colbert & Colmes

Liberal commentator Alan Colmes joined Stephen Colbert on his show, which-- for one night-- became "Colbert & Colmes."  Hilarity ensued.




5Jan/09Off

DELICIOUS: Read me now, believe me later

I have never made curry; I had it one time, at this one place, a long time ago, but I remembered the general flavor. The tang, followed by the zip, followed by the OM NOM NOM NOM. Suffice it to say, Sunday afternoon, I had a hankering for curry.

For those not in the know,

The term curry is now used more broadly, in English, to refer to almost any spiced, sauce-based dishes cooked in various southern and southeastern Asian styles. Though each curry has a specific name, generically any wet side dish made out of vegetables and/or meat is historically referred to as a "curry" - especially the yellow, Indian-inspired powders and sauces with high proportions of turmeric.

Having never made any type of Indian food before, any fear I had was overwhelmed by my general “I’M DOING THIS THING” attitude. Thus, I leapt onto my favorite recipe site, and found one for chicken curry.

For which I had almost all the ingredients.

And I now offer this recipe to you, because 1) it is EASY (do not let the list of spices confuse you), 2) it is DELICIOUS, and 3) because I care so, so very much about you.

NOTE:
I had no ginger root, and so used ground ginger. And I had no bay leaf, so nixed that. Oh, and I'm a big wimp, so I left out the cayenne pepper, too. STILL delicious. OH OH and I doubled the amont of chicken, added frozen peas and a can of chickpeas. Served over steamed rice with a green salad on the side.

Indian Chicken Curry II

INGREDIENTS
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• salt to taste
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes.

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