google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday January 26, 2009 Jo Vita

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Jan 26, 2009

Monday January 26, 2009 Jo Vita

Theme: Animal in Action

17A: Marine gliders: FLYING FISH

63A: Sport utility canine: HUNTING DOG

11D: Avian mimic: MOCKINGBIRD

26D: North Atlantic flier: HERRING GULL

Happy Spring Festival! 春节快乐!

I have never heard of HERRING GULL before. Are they fond of herrings? I wish there were a HEARING GULL instead. HERRING does not really fit the theme pattern here.

I think "Clique" alone is enough for IN-GROUP (53A: Elite clique), since ELITIST is the answer for 28A: Snob.

I believe this is Joe Vita's first TMS puzzle. If so, congratulations.

Across:

1A: Food for Silver: OATS. "Hi-yo, Silver". That's all I know about "The Lone Ranger".

2A: Michelangelo masterpiece: PIETA. The only work Michelangelo ever signed. I thought of DAVID first.

16A: Layer: COAT. Paint?

27A: Musical time unit: BAR. Not familiar with this exact definition. Music was regarded as a corrupt Western capitalist product and was not taught when I grew up. The loudspeaker blasted "The East is Red" every morning to wake us up.

32A: Mil. probe: RECON. I was thinking of the "A Few Good Men" style military probe.

33A: Razor choice: ATRA. Gillette should send free razors to our editor for this free publicity.

57A: Old Gray Mare, for one: NAG. Have never heard of "this folk song" before.

Down:

2D: To a man: ALL. First encounter with the phrase "To a man". Or maybe I saw it before and just did not pay attention to its usage. I tend to check the dictionary when the word is long and complicated.

5D: Braided danglers: PIGTAILS. Brought to mind the long "Braided danglers (queue)" hairstyle the Manchurians forced upon Han people till 1912, when Sun Yat-Sen and his followers finally overthrew the Machurians. That's why he is often referred to as the "Father of Modern China". About 92% of Chinese (almost 20% of the entire global population) are of Han ethnicity.

6D: Diabolical: INFERNAL

9D: For a short time: A WHILE. Often see people write AWHILE when A WHILE should be used.

12D: "Gigi" setting: PARIS. Here is the trailer. "Gigi" is probably Colette's most famous novel.

24D: Kazakhstan range: URALS. European/Asian border.

42D: Food poisoning: PTOMAINE. New word to me. Dictionary says this word derives from Greek "ptoma" meaning "corpse".

45D: Aphrodite's child: EROS. Greek equivalent of Cupid. This will be a great Valentine's Day gift. ARES, the bellicose Greek war god, is "Aphrodite's lover".

49D: Duke's location: DURHAM. The only thing I know about Duke is Coach K & the lacrosse scandal.

52D: Keenan or Ed: WYNN. Got the answer from across fills. Know either of them.

53D: Arboreal lemur: INDRI. Literally "there it is".

54D: Nostril: NARIS. Plural NARES.

64D: Org. of Capitals and Senators: NHL. Holy cow! I've never heard of Ottawa Senators or Washington Capitals. Great clue. I had no idea that there are so many teams in NHL.

C.C.

59 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - just a really quick one today, with no pauses, no real thinking. I guess I shouldn't complain; at least we're still getting puzzles.

Jo Vita? Is this the first time we've seen 'her'?

Interesting to see 'spouse' in the puzzle given the day.

Today is Spouses Day - enjoy with the spouse of your choice. And as several pointed out yesterday, today starts Chinese New Year -- C.C., anything significant about this one?

Today's Words of Wisdom: "By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." -- Socrates

NYTAnonimo said...

Had trouble with the NARIS (I put NAReS) and INDRI (word I was not familiar with) crossing. Then could not figure out RILE as I didn't have the correct letters down. Other than that a fairly easy puzzle. Happy Chinese New Year c.c.

NYTAnonimo said...

Did a search for Jo Vita plus crosswords Dennis and came up empty. I think this is a new constructor or and old constructor using a different name.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dennis,
This is indeed Jo Vita's first byline since I started blogging. Year of Ox is very important to those who were born in the year of Ox (1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, etc). In our customs, they should pick those who are born in the year of snake and rooster for SPOUSE.

NYTanonimo,
Hope Joe Vita is not Williams' new alias.

Barry,
After reading your initial FACES instead of SIX for "Sides of a cube" on Saturday, now I don't think the clue is accurate.

Chris,
Thanks. Have never heard of "Hip Roof" before.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Argyle,
Re: AIT. Is there a place with AIT as part of its name? China does not have different time zones, so in Mainland China we all celebrate Spring Festival in the same time in

Gator Mom,
Nice theme candidates. "Close Race" is Neck AND Neck.

Clear Ayes,
Great links, explanation & "Titanic"/"My Fair Lady" connection. Thanks. You are unbelievably clear-eyed.

Democrat,
Good ADELE clue. Were you a boy scout?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Linda,
Do all non-believers receive Great White Throne judgment? Even if they are innocent and have done nothing wrong in their life?

Luxor,
Charlie Chan is a Chinese character, though "Ah Me" is a Japanese comment. Why do you name yourself Luxor? Any Egyptian connection?

Martin,
I find Vietnamese culture hard to penetrate as well, so different from the rest of Asia.

Kazie,
Thanks for PATOIS yesterday.

Argyle said...

Good Morning, Everybody
Is there a place with AIT as part of its name?

If you google 'Thames ait' you can find several there and probably in other English rivers. I don't know of any in the US. Anybody else know of any?

I googled just 'Jo Vita' and found a college Student at University of Toledo, Ohio.

KittyB said...

Good Morning, C.C. Happy Chinese New Year.

I don't wear a great deal of jewelry, but I'd be very happy to have that heart-shaped necklace for Valentine's Day!

I had the same problem with the lower left corner as NYTAnonimo. My Latin fails me when it comes to describing the nose.

As for BAR....the Wikipedia explanation is correct, but I'd think it would be confusing to a beginning musician. It's always easier to learn the language of music as you apply it. In the 4/4 time signature, there would be four beats within a bar or measure. In 3/4 there are three beats to a bar. In 6/8, there are six beats to a bar, and so on. The upper number tells you how many beat will be within the vertical lines that measure off the staff. Does that help you any?

I have the Sunday puzzle, and will wait to read yesterday's blog until I've had a go at it. It's always nice to know that I can come here for help.

Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

You mentioned not knowing how to cook kale on your Sunday crossword site.

To cook kale, or any of the usual Southern greens (mustard, turnip, poke salad, chard, spinach, or any other leafy green) you mostly have to be born poor and in the South. I grew up eating these greens and love them. These greens, like many foods that poor country people eat, are just an excuse to eat vinegar, butter, salt and pepper. The greens in themselves don't really have much flavor and by the time you cook them long enough to eat I am sure that all the vitamins are long gone.

The secret to cooking greens is to clean them, clean them again, and them clean them a third time. Fresh garden grown greens are loaded with dirt. Soak them in the sink, swish them around, take them out, drain the water, rinse them again, etc. You need a big pot of water with a top. Greens are normally cooked with a piece of pork belly. It is low quality fatty pork that gives the green what little flavor they have. I sear the pork in the pot and then add the water. In the South they cook greens using the stone method. Put a stone in the pot, cook the greens until the stone is soft, take out the stone and cook the greens for another hour. This basically means that you have to cook the greens for a looooog time. Usually an hour or so.

Twenty liters of greens will cook down to enough for 2 people. I eat greens with vinegar, salt and pepper. I add one or two small sliced turnips to turnip greens. Taste the turnips first because sometimes even small ones can be pretty hot. Young turnips can be eaten like and apple. Slice them and add a little salt and eat them raw.

With whatever greens you eat you should also have corn bread with butter. Corn bread is used to sop up the greens liqueur (the left over juice) on your plate. Unless you add jalapenos to the batter, which is a Tex-Mex way, corn bread doesn't have much flavor either. Like grits, which is another subject, corn bread and corn pones are just excuses to eat hot salt, pepper, and butter. Black eyed peas is another dish that goes along with greens. Remember to eat black eyed on new year's day for good luck. Don't forget okra. That is another staple of Southern cooking. Okra and tomatoes is slap your Mama good. But, it has to be cooked in a cast iron skillet.

This could go on all night. To eat the best greens you have to have them some where in the South and they MUST be cooked by a big black woman with a apron on.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Today's puzzle was an absolute walk in the park... until I hit the SW corner. I confidently put in INDRA and NARES and congratulated myself on my awesome vocabulary, while simultaneously wondering how many other people would have trouble in that spot. Of course, then I ended up with RELE and ASLE for 69A and 71A, respectively, and I went, "huh?" I did finally get it worked out, but I didn't feel quite as smug afterward... ^_^

Barry,
After reading your initial FACES instead of SIX for "Sides of a cube" on Saturday, now I don't think the clue is accurate.


Well, I'd say it's accurate, but it certainly could have been phrased better. I mean, there are six sides on a cube, after all. So, yeah, it probably should have been "Sides on a cube," but then it would've been too straightforward, I guess.

Barry G. said...

Oh, and I almost forgot...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Dick said...

Good morning CC and all.. First Happy New Year CC. Do you still celebrate the new year?

The puzzle was easy today and I like Barry stumbled in the SW corner but was able to fill without help. Strangely, I stumbled at the start in the NW corner, skipped it, did the rest of the puzzle, then came back and finished the NW. No new words today but always forget that there is a "P" in "tomaine".

More snow to plow this AM so I am out of here.

Hope you all have a great Monday.

Anonymous said...

22:24 for me today...............

In the let's make the puzzle harder than it is department............

5D: Braided danglers: I thought it said daggers.

By working around it I figured out that it was danglers instead.

54D Nostril I wanted nasal. I've never heard of nares.

I object to the clue for canceled. I wanted out.

As in Glenn Beck's contract with CNN was canceled and he is now out.

Today is Spouses Day - enjoy with the spouse of your choice.

If that were true. The spouse of my choice part. My choice would be Alyssa Milano. But the choice is not mine to make.

Anonymous said...

CC,

Happy Chinese New Year. What is the significance of year of the dog?

No I wasn't a boy scout. I but that doesn't stop me from trying to be helpful. :-)

Frey said...

Was the answer to 25D GETON ???? for the clue FARE ???
A quick puzzle though

kazie said...

Frey,
Yes, "get on" (=get along) as in "I can get on without your help".

c.c.,
Happy New Year!

Easy one today, I was slowed only by having NARES at first, but quickly realized I needed an "i" for RILE, so no problem.

Anonymous said...

I am having a lot of trouble with the most east corner, like 37 Down Mormon Leader, and 36 Across Lawn tool.

Anonymous said...

Mark - Buenos Aires

"How did Liverpool foorball club fare (get on) last Saturday"

Kale - also known as "hungry gap" because it is ready for eating in that period of the year when most other vegetables have finished or not started.

lois said...

Good morning CC et al, Happy New Year! Easy puzzle, in 'Dennis time', which is a good way to start the week.

Since Kitty B already explained the musical concept of 'bar', I'll only add that as a music teacher who is 'scaling down', I will never retire. I'll keep going from bar to bar.

Dennis: cute quote...Socrates had a sense of humor! Spouses Day? As Mae West said, Marriage is a great institution. I'm just not ready to be institutionalized. That won't stop me from enjoying the day however.

kazie said...

anon@9:12,
lawn tool = edger, and Mormon leader = elder

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, everyone!

Smooth sailing except in the SW corner where INDRI and NARES caused some consternation. Got them from the perps, though.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Remember seeing the PIETA at the New York World's Fair in 1964. Getting it to NY and on exhibit was quite a coup in the art world at the time.

Have a great Monday!

Linda said...

CC: According to the Bible...not me, we are 'born in sin' because we are of the lineage of Adam. In other words...we are sinners just because we were born. When I told a friend that this hardly seems fair, he replied, "Ah...but it is infinitely fair; first, because He told/warned us, and second, because `He was made sin Who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of (attain right standing with) God`...thereby giving us a way to escape judgement for our in-born sin."
So I thought about it and since sin appears to be a condition and not an act...I began to study. What I found was that, yes...according to the Bible, all non-believers will face the Great White Throne Judgement. Hebrew 2:3 (earthly author uncertain) says "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation..."
I have no right to tell you what or how to believe...as a friend says, "Every tub has to sit on it`s own bottom." I simply answered your sincere and reasonable question to the best of my limited knowledge with as little opinion as possible.

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and everyone:

I did not know Indri (or couldn't remember it), but got it from the perps. As Dick said I forgot Ptomaine had a P, but put it in anyway because slurp had to be right. I really think "get on" for fare is a bit of a stretch. Also, pigtails do not have to be braided.

BTW, is the clue 30A Tries to land a sucker talking about "sucker" punch or "sucker" the fish! I'm assuming the fish since I never heard that term used for the other.

c.c., Dick, Linda, Dennis, Crockett, Wolfmom: Thanks to all of you for your well wishes for my hubby! He is doing better each day!!

kazie said...

Today is also Australia Day, commemorating the landing of the First Fleet at Botany Bay in 1788. Australia had been claimed by Captain James Cook for England 18 years earlier in 1770, but they didn't think much of what was there then. Only when they lost the colonies here after the revolution in 1776, did they start thinking they needed somewhere else to send convicts, otherwise they may have left it to the Dutch or French, who had started looking around down there too.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, The HERRING GULL looks just like any other shoreline seagull I've ever seen. I didn't think it fitted well with the theme either, unless HERRING turns out to mean "the act of fishing for herring". BTW, I "G'd" it and no such meaning showed up.

I have never heard of IN GROUP. When I much younger it was always The In Crowd by Dobie Gray. I got a kick out of Frankie and Annette's intro, as well as watching the dancing. It brought back a lot of memories.

I like to think of C.C.'s bloggers as being "The In Crowd", not in that they are elitist, but that they know what a fun place this is.

Jo Vita sounds to me like it could be a pseudonym. As Scrabble players know, "Jo" is a Scottish term for "sweetheart" and "Vita" mean "life". If it isn't a pseudonym, Ms. Vita, has a charming name.

G8rmomx2, I'm glad to hear that your husband's recovery is progressing well.

carol said...

Good morning C.C. and Happy New Year to you!

I was surprised to see a new name for the constructor. I had fun doing this puzzle but got snagged in the SW corner too.
Another thing, can anyone explain 25D? Fare to me means paying a fee to ride. "Get on" would be act of getting on the ride (taxi, streetcar, etc). The two do not mean the same thing in my mind. I wouldn't call a rider a "get on".

I will enjoy this day with my spouse, as I do everyday!

Dennis, loved the "word of wisdom" quote;)

Dennis said...

Carol, 'fare' can be a verb as well. You might say about someone going through an ordeal, "how is he faring", which basically means how is he getting on.

Linda said...

For all you who shovel snow and/or are married to blonds: Said blond heard on the radio to leave the car on the odd-numbered side of the street so that the snow plows could get through...she asked the husband to move the car. He replied, "Why don`t we just leave it in the garage, dear?"

Clear Ayes said...

Happy New Year, C.C.

About yesterday's comments on Humphrey Bogart movies, I heartily recommend 1951's The African Queen, for which Bogart won the Academy Award. Our little dog is named after the character Charlie Allnut.

Kazie, Happy Australia Day! Botany Bay is for you and all Aussies away from home.

There are plenty of poems about romantic love, but fewer about day-to-day love and the sense of humor that is essential to a long and happy marriage.

Washing the Dishes

When we on simple rations sup
How easy is the washing up!
But heavy feeding complicates
The task by soiling many plates.

And though I grant that I have prayed
That we might find a serving-maid,
I'd scullion all my days I think,
To see Her smile across the sink!

I wash, she wipes. In water hot
I souse each pan and dish and pot;
While Taffy mutters, purrs, and begs,
And rubs himself against my legs.

The man who never in his life
Has washed the dishes with his wife
Or polished up the silver plate--
He still is largely celibate.

One warning: there is certain ware
That must be handled with all care:
The Lord Himself will give you up
If you should drop a willow cup!

- Christopher Morley

Dick said...

@ Carol at 10:54...I wouldn't call a rider a "get on". I think that it would matter who the rider is before you would say get on. LOL

Auntie Naomi said...

Happy New year C.C. and Co.,

I think 43A is a very bad clue.

Kitty B., I agree that it is probably easiest to learn simple definitions as you go along. I also am not sure that the Wikipedia article author(s) is correct in stating, "The word measure is heard more frequently in the U.S., while bar is used in other English-speaking countries ..." It seems to me that the two terms are used pretty much equally here in the US.

You may enjoy this one. In my opinion it is (to quote Kip), "slap your Mama good."
Lenny White's 'Twelve Bars From Mars'

kazie said...

Promiseme...Are you ready, willing and able?

Clear Ayes,
Thanks for Botany Bay! Wonderful nostalgia! The last shot with the Harbour Bridge is in the area of the first settlement, now called the Rocks.
Despite the sign showing the entry to the Endeavour Museum, named for James Cook's ship, I think the pictures were from inside the rebuilt Bounty which was used for the film "Mutiny on the Bounty". Two of my high school best friend's sons worked on it for several years, taking tourists for harbor cruises. All dressed in period costume, of course.

Auntie Naomi said...

Oh boy.

Thank you, kazie.

WM said...

C.C. Happy Year of the Ox...We have had firecrackers going off in the neighborhood for the last 2 days...I'm assuming that all the evil spirits are long gone.We should have a good year.

I too put in DAVID first then realized it wouldn't work. Like Crockett, I saw the PIETA at the World's Fair with my family. If I remember correctly, we stood on a little moving walkway that kept everyone at a steady pace. It was an achingly beautiful piece of work.

Once I went to the bottom of the puzzle and worked back up it went more smoothly. Did get stumped with NARIS and wanted NASAL. Totally forgot the Lemur word INDRI. I actually did quite a bit better than I originally thought I would at first glance.

ClearAyes...cute poem. Now that my husband is retired, we cut a new deal...I do all the cooking(as always), he gets great food and does the dishes. I do make the concession of washing up a lot of the prep dishes if what I am making dirties a lot of dishes.

We apparently have a new comedian and foodie...welcome Kip from another foodie...I loved your description on cooking greens...being from CA, we tend to spend a bit less time with greens, I take them out before the stone melts and they get used in things like fritatas and mixed with other veggies...

carol said...

Dennis re "fare" - thanks, I hadn't thought of usage in that context for a long time.

Linda at 11:21 LOL, and I am a blonde.

Dick at 11:40 good one! Can you believe I said that??? Well if he "got it on", he will have "fared" well!! ;)

JD said...

Good Morning C.C. and all, and Jo Vita,

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

g8trmom, wonderful news that your spouse is improving day by day. The prognosis sounds so positive.:)

C.C., I had a hard time watching "The east is Red" and began thinking what your childhood was like. No wonder you love music!Thanks for the wake up call. Sometimes we need a kick in the hiney to be thankful for what we have.

I so enjoyed today's puzzle, but I did have to fill in the remaining letters of herring gull from you as I couldn't grok it.It didn't follow the pattern. I also stole naris... another new one for me.

@ Aphrodite... Ares was not her only lover.She was lover and mother to Adonis. There was a good reason she was called the goddess of love and she had to marry an ugly guy, Hephaestus. She was born when Uranus was castrated by his son, Cronus. His genitals were thrown into the sea and from the sea foam (aphros) arose Aphrodite. Now that is a strange beginning for any child!!!

After my spouse finishes vacuming we are going to see "Slumdog.."

Dick said...

Carol, nice retort at 12:59, it made me laugh.

Clear Ayes said...

JD, Phew, those Greek gods and godesses were not to be messed with! Apparently Gaia didn't have many enjoyable Spouses Days with Uranus...."Hey Sonny, how about doing your old Ma a favor and castrating Dad?"

Kip, LOL thanks for the rundown on "greens". Swedes make a tasty soup out of stinging nettles. A lot of soaking is involved there too.

I almost forgot about the homemade quark. I made a quarktorte (cheesecake) for a party on Saturday. It turned out very well, tasted pretty much like any cheesecake made with cream cheese. There weren't any leftovers, so I guess the other guests liked it too.

If any of you get a chance, see Movin' Out. We saw it last night. The best way to describe it is "rock ballet". The Billy Joel music is toe-tapping "sing-a-long-able" and Twyla Tharp's choreography is wonderful.

I'm off to art class. Have a good afternoon everyone.

g8rmomx2 said...

Hi c.c. and all,

JD and Clear Ayes: Thanks for the thoughts, I appreciate it.

c.c.: Happy New Years

WM said...

ClearAyes...good news on the Quark, will have to try it. Have made ricotta, but never Quark. Wanted to try fresh chevre, but the only milk I could find was Ultra-Pasteurized...ick.

Mind me asking what kind of art class? You are always full of surprises.

g8termomx2: Actually, according to the OED, a pigtail(first def.) is a plait of braided hair. You may be confusing it with either poneytail(not braided) or queue, which is the also a braid, but can, I believe also be a small ponytail at the base of the neck, as on a wig such as was worn in the 1700's.

carol said...

Kip, very funny description of cooking greens!! Sort of reminds me of the discussion we had on preparing rutabagas awhile back.
Clear ayes, stinging nettle soup? Swedish and Southern cooking styles could have something in common - maybe a few nettles thrown in with the greens, squirrel nuts, possum tails, reindeer recti and a little lutefisk for flavor..Jasuresicknowbygollybroth.

g8rmomx2, I am also glad your hubby is doing much better. It's a frightning thing to have a spouse go through any type of surgery, you must be a good nurse!

dougl said...

another tip on cooking kale or other greens...fry some pine nuts in oil, then add the greens and vinegar. It's a great combo! (pine nuts are a bit expensive but worth it in this case)

Linda said...

If your greens aren`t too rain- spattered and dirty...you can wash them on a gentle cycle in the washer...works well if you are doing quite a few...still have to check for "critters".

Crockett1947 said...

@linda In the washer? Never would have thought of that, LOL!

Linda said...

Crockett 1947:
"Necessity is the Mother...."
learned myriad time-saving tricks when I worked out side the home.
Doesn`t work if you pick them right after a hard rain...to mud-spattered.

Anonymous said...

G8rmomx2: May I join many others in wishing the best for you and your husband on Spouse's Day. It is not easy having a husband go through any kind of surgery, and what he had sounds like hard times. I echo that you must be a good nurse, and add that he must be a surprisingly good recovering husband.
I've been too busy for two days to do the puzzles, so am just now catching up. Fortunately they were both doable. However, I don't like Needle as a clue for Rile. One can needle someone with a good sense of humor without getting him/her riled up.
Happy New Year C.C.

kazie said...

g8rmomx2,
Let me add my wishes for your husband's continued progress toward full recovery. Every time I posted today, I had something else on my mind and kept realizing I'd missed saying this until it was too late. It does indeed seem like it's been a rough stretch for him, and you must be under a lot of strain as well. Caring for a sick man can be a challenge. So it's good that he is doing so well.

embien said...

9:04 today. An enjoyable puzzle which I took time to savor. No real hangups except like some others I initially wanted NARES instead of NARIS.

I agree that HERRING GULL doesn't really fit in with the other theme answers (unless HERRING is an action, but clear ayes says she didn't find that meaning in the dictionary.)

Happy New Year, c.c. (and everyone)! When I was young, Chinese New Year was always a favorite holiday for my mom (she enjoyed being a bit eclectic). Back in those days there weren't any Chinese restaurants except Cantonese. We'd go to a local Chinese restaurant, have a big feast, and say "Gung Hay Fat Choy" a lot. Much fun, and not very many "white" families did this back in those days. It was quite exciting when the first Szechuan restaurants began appearing here.

c.c.: I guess "Gung Hay Fat Choy" is the Cantonese version? Probably much different in other Chinese dialects?

Auntie Naomi said...

"Kip, LOL thanks for the rundown on "greens". "
Supermarkets here is So FL offer pre-cut greens (collard, mustard, kale, etc.) that are pre-washed. The pre-washing really helps. Something that you can find in most Cuban restaurants around here, that calls for kale, is a Spanish soup called 'Caldo Gallego'. It calls for kale and I enjoy making it at home from time-to-time.
Gotta run. I have to take the baked sweet potatoes out of the oven and fire up the grill for the Mojo-marinated lamb loin that I am going to serve over wilted spinach.

Ciao

Anonymous said...

I had an easy day today, although I admit I guessed at "geton","herring gull","indri" and "naris".

Reading the comments on cheesecake made my mouth water. My favorate is ricotta. I don't know if I have ever had quark. I suspect it would be more creamy (and also lower fat and salt content). I have never been able to reproduce my mother's cheesecake. Being of German extraction, I wonder if that is what she used.

cc - Duke also has a distinguished business school - The Fuqua School of Business (I spent some time there) and (usually) a decent basketball team.

Seattle John

Linda said...

@3:40 PM..."too mud-spattered" she says shame-facedly (a perfectly good word, CC!)

Thea said...

Good afternoon all and Happy New Year.

c.c. A question about the Chinese New Year, since there are twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac shouldn't the year of the Ox fall on odd years, such as 2009 & 1949 not 1950? BTW I'm an Ox.

Auntie Naomi said...

hmmm ...

I got curious and Wiki'd 'Chinese Zodiac'. I new that I was a 'Dragon'. I did not know that there were different qualities of any particular sign. It turns out that I am Yang Wood. That explains a lot!

Perhaps I will use that for a screen name somewhere :)

Clear Ayes said...

Seattle John, Quark is very popular in Germany. I bet that is what your Mom used to make her cheesecake. Give homemade quark a try. All you need is some buttermilk and a warm place to leave it.

Carol, LOL, Are you a closet Scandinavian? Nobody else would know about lutefisk....or want to.

Linda, Whatta handy hint. Did you suddenly wake up one night and yell, "Eureka!"? Question..Do you let it run through the spin cycle or fish the greens out of the tub with the water still in it?

Wolfmom, The art class is a college extension class that is offered at our local homeowners' center. We started this semester with pastels. We are all moderately untalented, but it is lots of fun and the instructor does not expect mini-Degases.

PromiseMeThis, It sounds like Florida attracts some good cooks.

Linda said...

Clear Ayes:I let it spin...see if there is grit in the tub...if so...run again...sure saves the back an feet! No Eureka! Just always looking for easier ways to do things...for instance...before holidays...I make my dressing cornbread with onions, spices and celery in it and freeze...I cook and debone my hen and freeze...I make my pies (not cream ones)and freeze...I make my vegie casseroles and freeze. I put the Turkey in a browning bag...put it on at 250 degrees when I go to bed and it`s done when I get up (use a meat thermometer and be sure it`s at 180 degrees). I brown several pounds of ground chuck with onions and 3 pounds of sausage separately and refrigerate it...it`s amazing how many meals you can make if the meat is already done!

CC: Are cooking hints too far off base for your blog?

WM said...

Linda...I think this group has a very wide range of interests. You are a very clever cook. I also will braise or roast larger(and often less expensive) cuts of meat and freeze packeages in usable amounts for later.

It sounds like there are quite a number of good cooks that also like to do xwords...

ClearAyes...That class sounds great. I think that people should always be open to new experiences...you just never know what talents you may discover...keep moving forward.

Anonymous said...

Hi people. I need some help with 67d. Please help me.

Dennis said...

Alison, it's 'gal'.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I really enjoyed doinFACE IT. Did you get all the answers?