Ode to Radishes

What you see above is one of the first harvests of radishes from my garden. 

Radishes are not the sexiest vegetables out there. But then again, what vegetable is sexy anyway? What a stupid statement. Fruits tend to be sexy like peaches, strawberries, and grapes.

Anyway, at one time I didn't like radishes. My dad grew them in his garden all the time. Somewhere along the line once I got older, I embraced the spicy root and enjoyed its heat. 

I remember my dad slathering butter on cut radishes. I don't go that route. Instead, I just eat them as is, dip them into a dressing, or put them in salads. 

From what I've gathered, the radish has all kinds of nutritional and health benefits. Check it out:

• WebMD's info
• Best Weight Loss Facts take
• LiveStrong's points

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Aromatic Potato Pancake

When my mom would have leftover mashed potatoes, she would often make what she called potato pancakes: not a sweet pancake but a savory one.

She mixed a few chopped onions into the mashed potatoes, formed them into pancakes, and then heated them in a skillet.

I did something similar after Xmas except I used the leftover aromatics I stuffed into my turkey.

Ingredients:
Roughly equal parts diced carrot, bell pepper, and red onion with chopped parsley
Leftover mashed potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Place mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl and fold in the aromatics. Mix it all together and form into a thick pancake. Lightly oil a skillet on medium-high heat, slap the pancake down till you get a good crust on the bottom, and then flip it to get a tasty crust on the other side.

Here's what the pancake looks like when it's in a small cast iron skillet.

Random Notes from a Crank

Food Porn Alert

What you see above is the eleven-pound bird I lovingly basted every thirty minutes on Christmas Eve day.

We travel to see my parents on the 27th, but I'm bringing part of the bird with me. Virg always loved the neck, so I'm bringing it with. Darby, our dog, got the turkey's heart, and I get the liver. Huzzah offal. 

Speaking of Darby, it's safe to say she may sometimes dread the holidays.

One of my favorite characters in American cinema is the father in A Christmas Story. He's known affectionately as "The Old Man." 

I got an Eddie Bauer clearance catalog this week, and I turned to the pages where this coat is advertised. It's a great coat if you want to look like a ribbed condom. For her pleasure. 

I remember reading about one of those questions that's supposed to tell you something about your personality. It's whether you're a Beatles person or a Rolling Stones person. From those two choices, for me it's Stones all the way. 

I've trolled a number of best albums of 2012 lists to see how mine compares to others. When I do this, I discover new artists. One album you might want to check out is John Fullbright's From the Ground Up. Fullbright, a native of Okemah, OK (birthplace of Woody Guthrie), put out a fine album this year. The genre is Americana and all the loose connotations that category entails. Todd Mathis at Twangville compares him to Jason Isbell in his review, but I think he's more like a cross between John Hiatt and Joe Pug. Although I'm an agnostic, I enjoy the religious imagery in the lyrics, and he also plays a good harp.