Frenchy's House Party; "How you durrin?"

Newt "Swingrich"

2012-01-23T14:28:00.000-05:00

Mr. Chutzpah

Mardi Gras King Cake

2012-01-05T10:19:00.001-05:00

As tomorrow is Epiphany I thought I'd repost this about King Cakes which are sold in Louisiana at Epiphany. An oldie but a goodie...

From Wikipedia:

...the most traditional, is a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green, and gold (the traditional Mardi Gras colors) with food coloring with a trinket, traditionally a baby Jesus figurine.

I had heard about these and thought that perhaps I'd make one. Never got around to it but then I saw this photo and decided that I'd probably "pass" on this one.

I suppose that it's OK... That is where babies come from, I guess.

Look what $23 million will buy!

2012-01-01T10:50:00.002-05:00

I look at luxury real estate sites sometime to see what people with a great deal of money buy with it. Often times on these sites you'll see enormously expensive homes filled with the worst crap. I think there should be some kind of rule that says that if you spend more than $2 million on a home you are required to hire a professional decorator. Anyway...

Today I saw a home that I would consider "move-in ready" and that I would not have to change a thing to live here. This one is in Charleston, South Carolina which is, without doubt, a beautiful city with superb historic homes. I could never live in South Carolina, what with the unfortunate prevalence of bigotry in the South but they do have some stunning homes. This one is built in the Federal style in the early 1800's and is a masterpiece. 17,000 Sq. Ft., 9 bedrooms, 13 full and 2 half-baths. So if you have a spare $23 million laying around you could own this beautiful home.

This is The Sword Gate House in Charleston, SC. Note the beautiful verandahs on the two lower levels.

The side porch looking out over the walled garden

The foyer

Beautiful staircase. You can almost imagine Loretta Young gliding down that staircase.

Not a great photo of the Drawing Room but it does show some of the painstakingly restored detail of the home.

This room is called "The State Room". Not sure why but it is a beautiful retreat

Nice big kitchen.

The Family Dining Room

The Formal Dining Room

This is the Upstairs Living Room. The color palette here is just stunning. I love those silk drapes.

Another view of the Upstairs Living Room.

The Master Suite.

This is the Dressing Room of the Master Suite.

I love the tub in front of the fireplace. Also note the beautiful plank flooring.

The Green Room. I think this is the most beautiful room in the house. (I suppose it's because my favorite color is green.) And check out the embroidery on the linens.

The Red Room

The Red Room's bath. Even the towels are ready for me!

From the agent's description:

The room list may help to describe a gracious home reflecting a grand lifestyle: Entrance hall with grand curved stair, Drawing room, Master study, Ball room, Library, Dining Room, Breakfast Dining Room, Family room with small kitchen and full bath, Commercial Kitchen, fabulous Master suite with his and hers dressing rooms and spacious bath, Two guest Bedrooms each with full bath, Fitness room, Gift wrapping room, Wine cellar, Butler's quarters and Maid's quarters. The Carriage House features a full guest apartment with kitchen and bath, and a Servant's break room with small kitchen and powder room and an additional apartment.

Don't forget to buy your Powerball tickets!

Fox asks Facebook Users if Jews killed Christ

2011-12-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

And the money quote?

A foreign affiliate of the Fox television network apologized this week after it published a poll on Facebook asking whether users felt like Jews were responsible for killing the biblical deity character Jesus Christ.

It's hard to keep up with the bigotry of Fox News/TV/Entertainment.

"Biblical Deity Character, Jesus Christ"

A foreign affiliate of the Fox television network apologized this week after it published a poll on Facebook asking whether users felt like Jews were responsible for killing the biblical deity character Jesus Christ.

The poll was published by Fox Latin America, based in Argentina, according to The Associated Press. It was attached to a post promoting the National Geographic Channel’s annual Christmas special.

Other poll answers included “Pontius Pilate” and “High Priests.”
A local Jewish group insisted the poll was a reference to Vatican propaganda against Jews, which the church has long since turned away from.
The current Pope, Benedict XVI, has similarly insisted that in the story, Jews were not responsible for the killing, saying that the ages-old tale of torture and death was instead pre-determined by the deity’s father as a way to forgive humans for their transgressions, not to saddle them with more.

The Fox poll was taken off Facebook almost as quickly as it went up. A network spokesman apologized and vowed that it wouldn’t happen again.
It was not clear which poll answer Fox viewers favored.

Don't yell at me people... I just reports 'em!

Crybaby Sen. Scott Brown Complains About Elizabeth Warren's Media Coverage

2011-12-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

What a friggin' pussy!

Facing Tough Race, Brown Complains About Warren’s Treatment In the Media

Senator Scott "Douchebag" Brown

Eric Kleefeld December 29, 2011, 10:53 AM 456

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) is suddenly facing a very tough race against former White House financial reform adviser Elizabeth Warren. And so Brown sat down for a friendly interview with the Boston Herald, a conservative paper, to complain about the coverage his likely rival is getting.

“And it would help if you guys would ask her some tough questions, too,” Brown commented. “Ask her how she would vote on things, and why. It’s all fluff, it’s all fluff. Give me a break.” He also added: “I just think that if you’re gonna find out where people stand, you’ve gotta ask them tough questions like you guys ask me every single day.”

The Herald also asked Brown whether he thought Warren was “too extreme” for Massachusetts. “Well I think the consensus out there is that she is obviously very very liberal. And especially when she’s stating that she’s created the intellectual foundation for the Occupy Wall Street — and you know all the problems we had with those folks here. And then the fact that she’s gonna leave blood and teeth in the street, and she’s not gonna compromise and only wants to work on big things. Well you know, we have plenty of ideologues down there, and a lot of partisanship down there already.” He also added: “You guys understand how things work down there. If you’re gonna get anything done, especially the fact that there is a check and balance, you need to work in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to get things done. You need to work across the aisle. And as you know, just because you follow me more than most, I am the most bipartisan person in the delegation, and one, if not the most in the entire Senate.”

As evidence, Brown cited his votes for financial reform — and Warren’s own praise of that bill — as well as his support for the START nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and for the repeal of the ban on gays in the military. “You know, I’d rather be thorough and rational than you know shoot from hip and be in lockstep.”

Recent polling has shown Warren with the lead in the race. Brown was elected to the Senate in a special election in January 2010, following the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy, in a stunning upset against Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley. However, a major challenge for him going into 2012 is that he is a Republican senator in a deep-blue state, which is expected to vote Democratic by a wide margin in the presidential race.

What's the matter Senator? Koch's money still can't erase what a douchebag you are?

Headline of the day

2011-12-29T08:38:00.000-05:00

Cool Geek Stuff: World's 1st Super Computer

2011-12-27T18:39:00.006-05:00

‘In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first ‘SUPER’ computer with a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5 MB of data.’

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T20:10:00.000-05:00

Just had a delicious dinner at The Taj in Boston with my wonderful husband (who is finally home for Christmas this year), and my 3 bestest friends. Who could ask for more??

The Taj Mahal wrought of gingerbread. Pretty amazing!

Tobin and Sally Tomatoes in the Cafe at The Taj

Tobin and Bob. Sorry about the exposure. A little dark in there.

Mr. B. He is actually having a good time this evening.

My appetizer: Pomegranate-glazed Scallops on Arugula and Celeriac salad. Very delicious.

Did you know that Pellegrino had a "Bulagri" edition of mineral water? You do now.

Grilled Rib-eye Steak with a charred sweet Pepper, Patty Pan Squash and a cheddar Pommes Dauphinoise. A terrific entree.

And for dessert... an update of classic Bûche de Noël.

We really did have a wonderful time. The only thing missing was you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

Scott and I wish you the very best! Happy Holidays!

New England vs Denver

2011-12-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

Our boys, The Pats are playing against the Denver Broncos in Denver tomorrow and we here at Frenchy's House Party are all fired up for the big game. Tebow has been hot this season and the defense from our boys has been less than fabulous so it should be a nail-biter. We are watching the game at Hedge House as it is also Tobin's birthday and Bob's making dinner. (YUM!) That Tim Tebag is one good looking Christianist but oy, I hope he gives it a rest. All of the ink that's been sprayed around talking about Tebow and his public displays of his faith reminded me of this little chestnut from our old favorite, The Bible (KJV, of course).

1 Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 5 And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. (Matthew 6:1,5-7)

We'll see how much of that we will have to see or hear. I'd hate to get agita after Bob's delicious dinner from listening to that stuff.

Poppin' Fresh!

2011-12-16T09:29:00.001-05:00

Today in Christian Conservative Anti-Gay Hypocrites Poppin' Out of the Closet:

This is great! From Towleroad:

Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven, Mississippi, "who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008 on a conservative, family-values platform" according to the Commercial Appeal, has been forced out of the closet over receipts uncovered in a criminal investigation over misused expenses. The receipts included "thousands of dollars worth of liquor, expensive dinners at a local restaurant and a visit to an adult store catering to gay men":

As details emerged Thursday from the receipts, provided by state auditors to Southaven aldermen and subsequently obtained by The Commercial Appeal, Davis conceded publicly for the first time in an interview with The CA that he is gay and has struggled to keep the issue from affecting his public life as mayor of Mississippi's third-largest city.

"At this point in my life and in my career, while I have tried to maintain separation between my personal and public life, it is obvious that this can no longer remain the case," Davis said Thursday afternoon at his Southaven home. "While I have performed my job as mayor, in my opinion, as a very conservative, progressive individual -- and still continue to be a very conservative individual -- I think that it is important that I discuss the struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the realization that I am gay."

Davis doesn't recall what he bought at the Priape sex shop:

The receipts were provided to state auditors in hopes of decreasing the approximately $170,000 they have demanded Davis repay the city for improper charges to both his city-issued and personal credit cards. Auditors asked city aldermen, who approved the expenses, to review the receipts before making a decision on accepting them to reduce Davis' payments...

...a review by The CA shows that Davis spent thousands of dollars at the Mesquite Chop House in Southaven and thousands more at local liquor stores. Also included in the receipts is a charge for $67 at Priape, a store in Toronto that is described by its website as "Canada's premiere gay lifestyle store and sex shop."

Davis said he didn't remember what he bought at the store, which he visited on a recruitment trip with Mid-South warehouse developers.

He couldn't remember what he bought at the gay sex shop? Yeah... right!

Another day, another self-loathing Republican politician in gay-sex/prostitution scandal

2011-12-06T10:55:00.000-05:00

Republican Mayor and father of two, Chris Myers

What, again??

From The Huffington Post:

MEDFORD, N.J. -- The town's married mayor, accused on a website two months ago of having sex with a prostitute at a California hotel, resigned Monday.

The anonymous allegation against Republican Chris Myers, a father of two, included a photo of a man who appeared to be him in his underwear.

The person making the allegation claimed to be a prostitute. He said Myers contacted him through a male escort website and they met at a Newport Beach, Calif., hotel. He complained Myers paid him $500 but didn't fulfill promises of a car and other gifts. He said on the website that the broken promise was the reason he was taking his story public.

The website was taken down soon after becoming public.

Myers, in an interview with a reporter for the Courier-Post newspaper in October, refused to comment on the allegations but didn't deny them. At a November township council meeting, Myers denied the claims, calling the Internet "a murky, anonymous place."

His resignation letter submitted to town officials Monday did not mention the scandal. "My work commitments will not allow me to devote the time that is needed in the months ahead," Myers wrote.

Another Self-described "Conservative Republican" in Gay Sex Scandal

2011-11-30T09:22:00.000-05:00

I am Shocked! Shocked I tell you! From the great website Towleroad:

Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan, a self-described conservative Republican, was arrested yesterday on charges of exchanging methamphetamine for sex with a man, The Denver Post reports:

Drug task-force officers were "visually monitoring" the deal when the 68-year-old former national Sheriff of the Year delivered methamphetamine to an Aurora home and sought sex in return, said current Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson.

"This shows that no one is above the law, particularly a current or a former peace officer," Robinson said.

Robinson said Sullivan had an ongoing relationship with the man as well as other men he had a history of bonding out of jails in the metro region.

Sullivan is being held on $250,000 bail in the jail that bears his name, the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility. He was sheriff from 1984 until his retirement in 2002.

These characters sicken me. They call us the worst kind of names and demonize us to win and keep power and they are nothing but self-loathing hypocrites. I hope they throw the book at this scumbag.

It's no wonder the rest of the world thinks we're all crazy!

2011-11-29T12:04:00.000-05:00

Nothing says Merry Christmas like blastin' some critters with a big ol' assault rifle while Santa tickles the young'uns.

I found this photo at The Daily Mail (London). Take a look at the story too.

It's Official!

2011-11-24T19:26:00.000-05:00

Mr. B and I had a terrific dinner with his folks (my in-laws). More about that later with commentary on dinner. Only small issue was that we ordered a lovely little nosegay corsage for Mom and left it in the fridge when we went to dinner. It does, however, look spectacular pinned to the sleeve of my sweatshirt.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What do I bring for Thanksgiving Dinner? A practical flow chart

2011-11-24T17:51:00.000-05:00

I know it's a little late for this but I just saw it and had a good chuckle over it.

Thanks to Chow for this one:

Offered without comment

2011-11-21T13:22:00.002-05:00

A "Good Christian Teacher"

2011-11-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness I don't have any children to worry about. With the pedophile clergy, "coaches" on sports teams and every other manner of kook and weirdo out there I'd be afraid to let them out of the house. Witness today's entry into the fray:

"Alleged" pervert in question

Teacher in Christian School Charged with Masturbating in Class

Authorities in Schaumburg, Illinois have charged a teacher at a Christian school for repeatedly masturbating in class over a period of 10 years. Schaumburg Christian School fired math teacher Paul A. LaDuke, 75, on Friday after a student reported that she saw him masturbating, according to NBC Chicago.

After conducting an internal investigation, school officials contacted Schaumburg police Monday. On Tuesday, LaDuke was charged with sexual exploitation of a child. Several students reportedly told police that they were present in the classroom when LaDuke unzipped and lower his pants and then masturbated.

“Through the course of our investigation, our detectives have come to believe that this has happened several times per year for 10 years or more, possibly,” Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebel told the CBS affiliate in Chicago.

“It’s not that it’s been reported and nothing has been done, it’s just that during the course of the investigation, we’ve come to learn certain information and I can’t go further for the fact that there’s a possibility of more charges before a grand jury,” he added.

Police say that there is no evidence that LaDuke, who taught Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus, had inappropriately touched any students.

What a friggin' pervert!

Little things mean a lot!

2011-11-12T17:52:00.001-05:00

Thanks Mr. B!

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about my dear Mr. B buying me a new vacuum cleaner. Now scoff if you will but I really was sick of the old machine and just didn't want to go and blow any money on a new one. I really did feel just like a bride easing that new vacuum around the house. Thanks again, Mr. B. (Ed. Note: That machine is dying a dusty death right now. Time for a new one I guess.) A vacuum is not what some people might call a great gift but it was something that made my life that much easier and I didn't have to put up with something that "worked" but not really.

The point to this is that there are some products that we have around the house that we use and are marginally happy with but are just "making do". Take aluminum foil. I use it all the time. It is fine for what it's worth but nothing special. Stuff sticks to it, you can't use it on a lasagna because the cheese sticks to it and the tomato sauce's acid interacts with the aluminum foil making it taste metallic. Ugh! So then Reynolds (Wrap) puts out this new foil that is, as my sainted mother used to say, "Slicker'n snot on a doorknob". I LOVE this stuff. I use it all the time now. If you haven't tried it go and buy yourself some. Absolutely nothing sticks to it!

However the age old problem of the sticky, metallic lasagna remains. The cheese won't stick to it but you still need to put a piece of parchment paper between the casserole and the foil to keep it from getting funny-tasting. And what's the point of using the non-stick foil if you're just going to put a piece of parchment between the foil and the casserole?

Well... not any more!!! Presenting!!!

I know how silly you must think this is but I think it's great! Foil lined with parchment! Genius! We cooks know what a great idea this is.

Now if they could only make a foil that washes dishes and makes coffee.

Buying a turkey at Stop & Shop... The Nightmare

2011-11-09T18:24:00.001-05:00

I usually like to wait a couple of days before writing about problems I have with a business so I can cool off and get a better perspective on things. But not tonight!

This week Stop & Shop has a sale on frozen turkeys ($0.58/pound). If you buy one of these turkeys and present a coupon from the paper last week you also get 200 points for savings on gasoline (200points = $0.20/gallon saving). I am almost out of gas so I was going to use the points to fill up and bring the cost of my turkey from $8.32 to $5.52. I thought that I would like to take advantage of this but because we have a smaller refrigerator with an even smaller freezer I didn't think it would work. The Contessa di Pomodori suggested asking the butcher at Stop & Shop to saw the turkey in half and freeze the halves. This was a great solution as I didn't want to take up a whole shelf of my freezer for weeks until I was going to use an entire bird.

I headed down to the local Stop & Shop and selected a nice small (14lb) turkey figuring that was about the largest I could accommodate with my freezer and took it to the butcher shop at the market. A kind of slack-jawed youth came out of the butcher shop and told me he could not cut the turkey in half because all of the equipment had been cleaned. He said the butcher shop was only open until 5pm. Thinking he was just being obdurate I went to the "Courtesy" booth and asked the manager what was up with the butcher shop closing at 5 when so many people shop on the way home from work. She said simply ask the youth to "put the turkey aside and do it tomorrow" and pick it later today. I said to the youth that I would like the turkey sawed in half, wrapped individually and kept frozen until I picked it up tonight.

I arrived at the Stop & Shop tonight to find that the turkey had indeed been cut in half but it was put on a foam meat tray and loosely wrapped in plastic. The turkey was also completely defrosted (meaning it had been left out somewhere for some time) and as it was not tightly wrapped it was leaking turkey juice all over my hands. The guy in the butcher shop tonight said that this was the only turkey that was cut in half and it must be mine. Needless to say I was completely bullshit about this and took the turkey right to the "Courtesy" booth dropped it on the desk and demanded to see the manager. He asked me if I wanted to go through another stop at the market tomorrow and I said to just forget it. Fortunately they had some hand sanitizer at the counter but that turkey was leaking something shocking and it was all over their desk.

I doubt that I will pursue this purchase again but it is a good object lesson. If you need something done at Stop & Shop you need to write everything down, take names, call several times during the day to make sure your instructions are followed.

All this for an $5.52 turkey!

Penguin Stuff

2011-10-24T16:50:00.003-04:00

I saw a post on Towleroad.com about these penguins in New Zealand that had been caught up in an oil spill and the locals were trying to get folks to knit little sweaters for them to keep them warm and to keep them from preening their feathers until they could be cleaned up.

If those aren't cute enough here's a video of Cookie the Penguin. I know I've posted this before but I just saw it again and couldn't resist. This little bird loves him some tickling!

This is a genuine scream!!

2011-10-14T15:54:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Joe.MyGod.com and BettyBowers.com for this one:

McDonald's Sign Fail

2011-10-13T14:47:00.001-04:00

Oh dear!

Does anyone else see something amiss??

2011-10-13T10:10:00.004-04:00

From ThinkProgress.org:

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett released his tax returns to House Republicans as requested, revealing he made over $62 million last year while paying $15,300 in payroll taxes.

Nice little tax break I'd say.

Chihuahua vs. Mastiff

2011-10-05T10:36:00.001-04:00

I know, I know... cute pet videos?? Well, watching this chihuahua driving his friend, a huge mastiff, crazy is just adorable. Enjoy!