Random Notes from a Crank

After reading so many articles in the paper about Moscow Don's associates, I'm getting weary of the word "pleaded." That past tense in the English language doesn't make any sense to me. I would argue it should be "pled." 

If one considers the past tense of "lead," which is "led," it is not logical that the past tense of "plead" is "pleaded." It just sounds funny. 

In a similar vein, I get that the past tense of "cancel" is acceptable as either "canceled" or "cancelled." Cancelled to me just looks better. It's got two Ls. It is not playing around. It's CANCELLED. I like that extra l for emphasis. 

We finally made the switch from Directv to HULU. I am liking the change for monetary reasons, but I miss watching The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and MLB Network on a regular basis. 

I surely won't miss the weather wreaking havoc with Directv's reception though. 

In the wake of yesterday's testimony, this is an opinion piece that, to me, gets it right: "Michael Cohen Testimony on Donald Trump Was a WWE Body Slam Against Trump. Here's Why It's Credible."  I enjoy the concluding sentence: "Prosecutors have a saying: Conspiracies hatched in hell don't have angels as witnesses."

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Green Lentil Soup

The other week when I was at Aldi shopping I was browsing that aisle Aldi has that is a collection of seasonal items and foodstuffs they're trying to get rid of for whatever reason. As I browsed, I happened upon a bag of green lentils. 

I've had canned Progresso lentil soup many times, but I had no idea there was such a thing as a green lentil. I grabbed the bag for $1.29, and yesterday I made this soup based on the recipe on the back of the bag. As is my nature, I modified the recipe a good bit. 

Ingredients
3 medium carrots, sliced into think half moons
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1/2 of a yellow onion, finely chopped
6 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of green lentils
1 package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
Healthy smidge of garlic powder
Healthy smidge of Penzey's Old World Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
wedge of a lime

Process
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium-high and add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook for roughly 8-10 minutes so the celery and onions soften considerably. Add the stock, bay leaves, and seasonings. Heat to a boil and then put the lid on and reduce the heat to low. 

Let that percolate for about 20 minutes, so the lentils soften. Then add in the mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes. Test for proper seasoning and serve. 

When I had the soup, I added a little Sambal Oleak and chopped cilantro and then queezed a wedge of lime into it. I think I might also try it by adding chopped green olives. 

If you can get past the soup's greenish-brown color (not the most aesthetically pleasing), it's a good soup. 

Music Friday: "Jack & Diane"

This song was a huge hit for Mellencamp. It's a great song. 

The other day I watched the documentary Hired Gun. In a small part of the documentary, it features Mellencamp's longtime drummer Kenny Aronoff. He talked about his challenge of creating possibly the best drum fills of all time on this song. 




"Oh yeah, life goes on ... long after the thrill of living is gone." 

Random Notes from a Crank

When did it become okay for people to use their smartphones to blare whatever video they want and thereby subjecting everyone around them to have to listen to what they're watching? 

The 60 Minutes interview with Andrew McCabe is worth watching. From what I've read from various articles and heard in the interview, it seems quite clear that Moscow Don is seriously compromised. I would not be surprised if he and his campaign actively worked with the Russians to influence and win the election. 

For lunch the other day, I put together two things I like: imitation crab and grilled cheese. I simply put some Aldi's imitation crab meat between two slices of provolone in a regular grilled cheese sandwich. It was good, but the sandwich has an interesting mouthfeel that might not be appealing to some. You bite into the sandwich, and the inside is soft and gooey.

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Mediterranean Chicken & Bean Soup

I saw a Mediterranean Chicken & Chickpea Soup in an issue of Eating Well, but Mrs. Nasty doesn't like chickpeas, and she doesn't like chicken thighs. So I used some cannellini beans I had in the cupboard and poached some chicken breasts. 

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, poached and shredded 
2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic or a healthy does of garlic powder
4-5 teaspoons of ground cumin
4-5 teaspoons of paprika 
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
6 cups of water
1 can of quartered artichoke hearts, cut into smaller pieces
sliced green olives
capers
chopped cilantro
Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Process
After poaching and shredding the chicken breasts, pour the water into the slow cooker. Add chicken, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, onion, garlic, and spices. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Reserve the artichoke hearts, olives, capers, and cilantro for toppings  

Music Friday: "So Lonely"

I was/am a big fan of the Police, but I don't recall ever seeing this video for "So Lonely" off the band's first album. 

I'm been listening to the Police a lot lately. 

But we are all so lonely.

Music Friday: "In Hell I'll Be In Good Company"

Via FB I saw that this band is playing some music festival in rural Iowa the same day that Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit is playing. 

I'm intrigued. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Lots of people are bitching about how boring the Super Bowl was because there wasn't a lot of scoring. I liked it because I appreciate good defense. People have gotten too used to video-game-style football. 

As I channel my inner 70-year old man, I state this conclusively: "Defense wins championships." 

And get off my lawn, you damn kids. 

Back in my day, teams ran the ball a lot instead of doing these damn short passes to receivers and other whatnot.

Music Friday: "Your Racist Friend"

Here's a great tune from Flood, an album one of the guys who lived down the hall from me in my dorm played all the time my freshman year. 

I heard the album so much that I got tired of They Might Be Giants. 

That was then. 

I like the band now.