google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Jan 8, 2020

Wednesday January 8, 2020 Robin Stears

Theme - Letter Openers Redux - or - The First of the Last.  Similar to this recent puzzle we have in each clue fill a name which is a homophone of its initial letter; or, you might say, the name is that letter spelt out.  Back in October, it was done with first names, and this time with last names.

17 A. "Killing Eve" star: SANDRA OH. [b 1971] Winner of many awards.


21 A. Award-winning "A Raisin in the Sun" actress: RUBY DEE. 1922-2014] Actress, poet, screenwriter and civil rights activist.  Also a winner of many awards, she was married to Ossie Davis, and often performed with him.


36 A. "Full Frontal" host: SAMANTHA BEE. [b 1969] Yet another award winner. She was a regular correspondent on The Daily Show for 12 years.


55 A. First chief justice: JOHN JAY. [1745 - 1829]    He was "an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, Founding Father of the United States, abolitionist, negotiator and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783, second Governor of New York, and the first Chief Justice of the United States (1789–1795). He directed U.S. foreign policy for much of the 1780s and was an important leader of the Federalist Party after the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788." [Wikipedia]

61 A. "Take Good Care of My Baby" singer: BOBBY VEE. Robert Thomas Velline [1943 - 1916] was an American singer, songwriter and musician.  He had 6 gold singles in his career.




Hi Gang, and happy new year.  JazzBumpa here. Not quite on topic - before my sister got married her initials spelt her name - PAT.  It's a red letter day for the famous people featured in our theme. These are my initial thoughts.  Let's see what else is in store.

Across:

1. Clemson's NCAA div.: ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference.

4. Thom of shoes: MCAN.  Brand name and former chain store, founded in 1922.  The brand is now controlled by Sears.

8. Preposterous: ABSURD.  Not to be taken seriosly

14. Mexican Mrs.: SRA.  Abrv. for Señora.

15. "__ that the truth!": AIN'T.  Well, maybe it is and maybe it ain't.

16. Bullpen ace: CLOSER. In baseball, a pitcher brought in to secure a win in the last inning of play.

19. Remote: LONELY.  Far away from everything, as in lonely outpost, frex.

20. Cockpit figure: AVIATOR.  Aircraft pilot.

22. Yin partner: YANG.  Not Andrew.  A cosmic duality, sets of two opposing and complementing principles or cosmic energies that can be observed in nature.


23. It's a long story: SAGA.  Originally a Norse story of heroic achievement.  Now any long and involved story.

25. Legal postponement: STAY.  A court ruling to stop a legal process.  Subsequently, the stay might or might not be lifted.

26. Terrific bargain: STEAL.  Figuratively speaking.

28. West with 21 Grammys: KANYE. [b 1977] American rapper, producer and fashion designer.

31. Sugar suffix: -OSE.  Generic ending for the names of various sugar molecules.  The Latin root means "full of," "given to," or "like."

32. Open __ night: MIC.  A live show in which audience members may participate.  Feel free to display your wisdom or foolishness.

34. Bathtub buildup: SCUM.  This occurs when hard water ions, like calcium or magnesium combine with the soap to make a hard, insoluble substance.

35. Spot for pillow talk: BED.  Or sleeping.  Your choice.

39. 23-campus West Coast ed. system: CSU. The California State University System

41. General Bradley: OMAR.  [1893 - 1981] He graduated from West Point in 1915, along with Dwight David Eisenhower.  In 1941 he became the commander of the United States Army Infantry School.  He saw extensive service during WW II, and was appointed as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1950.

42. Ariz. neighbor: NEVada.  States in the western U.S.

43. Part of MYOB and BYOB: OWN. That which is yours.  Mind it, and bring it.

44. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA.  [b 1954]  You can read about her life and distinguished career here.

46. Big name in whisky: DEWAR.  An award winning brand of  Scotch whisky originally created in 1846, now owned by Bacardi.

50. Wine quality: NOSE. Aroma.

52. Long-running Mark Harmon military drama: NCIS. A police procedural TV drama based on special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.  It has aired for 16 full seasons and gone into syndication.

54. Congregation area: NAVE.  The central part of a church structure, adjacent to the chancel or sanctuary.

58. Made a comeback: RALLIED.  A significant recovery after a period of weakness; said of an ill person, lagging sports team or equities market.

60. Synchronicity: UNISON. Nope.  Synchronicity is the idea of "meaningful coincidence:" that events could be connected by meaning, without a common cause.  This is a paranormal concept; whereas science considers such events to be spurious correlations or mere coincidences, since the concept is neither testable nor falsifiable.



62. Fame: RENOWN.  A wag once said that a celebrity is someone famous for being well know.  It's possible I have this backwards.

63. Luminous glow: AURA.

64. KC-to-NYC dir.: ENEEast by North East - the very antithesis of a 1959 Alfred Hitchcock
thriller.



65. English Channel swimmer: EDERLE. Gertrude [1905 - 2003] accomplished this feat on Aug. 6 1926.  Whereas William the Conqueror sat on the continental side for months in 1066 waiting for a favorable wind.

66. Walk of Fame figure: STAR.  Any old star.

67. CD-__: ROM.  Digital data storage device.

Down:

1. Analyzes for purity: ASSAYS.  Conducts chemical tests for composition and quantity.

2. Decorative neckwear: CRAVAT.  Now a rather non-specific designation for various neck-ties, but originally as pictured.



3. Bloodhound, e.g.: CANINE.  Any old dog.

4. Gas station store: MART.  Convenience store.  I like Wawa.

5. They're often exchanged in Venice: CIAOS.  Word of greeting or parting.

6. Hooded Arctic jacket: ANORAK.  An anorak is typically a waterproof, hooded, pull-over jacket whereas parka is a long weatherproof jacket with a fur-lined hood. Most importantly, a parka is typically longer than an anorak. Moreover, some anoraks have drawstrings at the waist or cuffs whereas parkas do not have drawstrings.  [If you're interested]

7. Unspecified degree: NTH. Unlike B.S. M.S. and Ph. D. which are all specified.

8. Org. with a "Speak Freely" blog: ACLUAmerican Civil Liberties Union.

9. Gooey mass: BLOB.


Or see G.R.R.M.'s story A Song For Lya

10. Some HDTVs: SONYS. popular brand name.

11. Was: USED TO BE.  Formerly

12. Turn loose: RELEASE.  Uncage, untie.

13. Unmoved: DRY EYED.  Not in tears.

18. Portuguese explorer Vasco: DA GAMA.  [ca. 1460's - 1524] Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach india by sea, traveling around the southern coast of Africa. The first such voyage started in 1497.

21. Italian alternative: RANCH. Salad dressings.

24. Stomach-related: GASTRIC. The word traces back to Greek, via modern Latin.

27. Bridal party rides: LIMOS.  Large, luxurious, chauffeur-driven automobiles.


29. Chinese currency: YUAN. Approx. 0.14 U.S. Dollar

30. Insert into an email, as a video: EMBED.  Or into a blog post.

33. Commando garb, for short: CAMO.  Clothing with a combination of colors and patterns typical of camouflage, designed to blend in with surroundings.

36. Pleasant forecast word: SUNSHINE. A cloudless sky.

37. Live-in helper, perhaps: NANNY.  Children's care taker.

38. In equal shares: EVENLY.  It's only fair.

39. Cast a spell, say: CONJURE.  More exactly, call forth a spirit or demon.

40. Passed out: SWOONED. Fainted.

45. Freshen by opening windows: AIR OUT.  Let the stale air escape.

47. Written relinquishing of rights: WAIVER. Officially giving up a right or claim.

48. "Skin Mind Balance" brand: AVEENO.

49. Cash in: REDEEM. As coupons.

51. Former CNN journalist David: ENSOR.  He had a long and distinguished career in journalism and government. [reference]

53. Hummus brand: SABRA.  I have some in the fridge.

56. Lower jaw: JOWL.  The meaty part, not the bone.

57. Pulitzer poet Sexton: ANNE.

59. Letter-shaped brace: L-BAR. For mounting shelves, etc.

61. English lit degrees: BAS. Batchelor of Art.

We've come from the beginning to the end, with more awards and initials along the way.  Hope your initial reactions were favorable.

Cool regards!
JzB




Jan 7, 2020

Tuesday, January 7, 2020 David Poole

Buckle Up!  Today we have both the dreaded circles and anagrams!  So, buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride on this ROCKY ROAD as we travel around the world in a puzzle that contains lots of foreign language words.

I'll start with the unifier:

And the Unifier:
61-Across. Nutty ice cream parlor order ... and a hint to each set of circled letters: ROCKY ROAD.


17-Across. Not be serious: KID AROUND.

24-Across. "Answer with the first thing that comes to mind" exercise: WORD ASSOCIATION.

36-Across. World's largest lizards: KOMODO DRAGONS.  The Komoda Dragon is found in the Indonesian islands.

52-Across. '70s Chilean president: SALVADOR ALLENDE.  Salvador Allende (June 26, 1908 ~ Sept. 11, 1973) was a physician and President of Chile from 1970 until 1973 when he was killed in a coup.  After the coup, Augusto Pinochet (Nov. 25, 1915 ~ Sept. 10, 2006) became the dictator of Chile.  The latter was my first thought, and both names have the same number of letters.

Salvador Allende.

We've also have a little criminal activity going as well.

15-Across. Thieves' hideout: LAIR.  //  65-Down.  Thieves' hideout: DEN.

16-Across. Thief: CROOK.

Across:
1. Indian music style: RAGA.

5. French "to be": ÊTRE.  The first of several references to a foreign language in today's puzzle.  The verb Être is an irregular verb.  In the present tense, the verb is conjugates as: Je suis / Nous sommes (I am / We are); Tu es / Vous être (You are You are); Il est / Elle est (He is / She is) / Ils sont / Elles sont (They are). 

9. Goldman __: investment banking giant: SACHS.  Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman (Dec. 9, 1821 ~ July 20, 1904).  Thirteen years later, his son-in-law, Samuel Sachs (July 28, 1851 ~ Mar. 2, 1935), joined the firm, and the name became as we know it today.

14. Go with the __: FLOW.

19. Like the accent in passé: ACUTE.  The French language uses 5 distinct accents:

the cédille Ç,
the accent aigu é,
the accent circonflexe â, ê, î, ô, û,
the accent grave à, è, ù
and the accent tréma ë, ï, ü.

20. French monarch: ROI.  The French King.

21. Hockey score: GOAL.


23. Cold War mil. program: SDI.  As in the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as Star Wars.  The program was initiated in 1983 during the Reagan Administration.  The program was designed to develop a space-based missile defense program to protect the country from a nuclear attack.  The program is sometimes considered the straw that broke down the Cold War between the United States and the USSR.

29. Golfer Michelle: WIE.  Michelle Song Wie (b. Oct. 11, 1989) was the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.  She was 10 years old at the time.


30. "I've seen better": MEH!

31. Playground equipment: SWINGS.
32. Quaint lodging: INN.

33. Passé: OLD HAT.  Note that the clue contains a acute accent, or in French, an Accent Aigu.

42. "Peer Gynt Suite" dancer: ANITRA.  Definitely not a Tuesday clue, but I am sure you have heard the music that accompanies the dance.



43. "Mangia!": EAT!  Today's Italian lesson.  Mangia is the imperative verb form of the verb to eat.

45. Wine city north of Lisbon: OPORTO.  Today's Portuguese lesson.  This city, which is the second largest city in Portugal, appears as Porto in maps in English.


48. CEO's degree: MBA.  The Chief Executive Officer would likely have a Master's in Business Administration.

51. Wallet single: ONE.


56. Ed.'s backlog: MSS.  As in a backlog of Manuscripts.

57. Actress Russo: RENE.  Rene Russo (née Rene Marie Russo; b. Feb. 17, 1954) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  She began her career as a fashion model.


58. World Cup cheer: !OLE¡  Today's Spanish lesson.

59. Funny Cheri: OTERI.  Cheri OTERI (née Cheryl Anne Oteri; b. Sept. 19, 1962) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She was on Saturday Night Live 2 decades ago, where she played a number of roles, including the Spartan cheerleader.

Cheri is on the Right.

66. Seasonal mall temp: SANTA.  Their temporary job is over until next season, which, I think now begins in about July.  Also a fond memory to our own Santa.


67. "Omigosh!": YIPE!

68. Loitering, say: IDLE.

69. German steel city: ESSEN.


70. Some pipe joints: ELLS.


71. Utopia: EDEN.


Down:
1. D.C. United's former stadium: RFK.

2. "Green Book" Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Mashershala Ali (né Mahershalalhasbaz Gilmore; b. Feb. 16, 1974) also won an Oscar for his performance in Moonlight.  He was also the star of the 3rd season of True Detective, and appeared for a couple of seasons in House of Cards.


3. Neptune or Pluto: GOD.  They are brothers in Roman mythology.

4. Palme d'Or, e.g.: AWARD.  It is the Oscar of the Cannes Film Festival.


5. Kid-lit girl who lives on the "tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel: ELOISE.  The Eloise Books were not actually a part of my childhood.


6. Cross-shaped Greek letter: TAU.


7. Second Beatle on the "Abbey Road" cover: RINGO.  *



8. Ambulance patient's MD: ER DOC.  As an Emergency Room Doctor.

9. Scoundrel: SCALAWAG.  Fun word.

10. Fly ball's path: ARC.  Think baseball.


11. "My __ Vinny": 1992 comedy: COUSIN.  This movie is a favorite of many of the regulars on this blog.

12. Show-off: HOTDOG.  A CSO to Misty's dogs.

13. Wound yarn units: SKEINS.  A CSO to our resident knitters.



18. Travel aimlessly: ROAM.  May your roam be on a smooth road and not a Rocky Road.

22. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" host Tyler: AISHA.  Aisha Tyler (née Aisha Naomi Tyler; b. Sept. 18, 1970) is a complete unknown to me.  I watched the show when Drew Carey was the host.  I didn't know it was still on.


24. 1914-'18 conflict, briefly: WWI.  Also known as World War I, the War to End All Wars.

25. Farm grunt: OINK.


26. Nevada casino city: RENO.  Not to be confused with 57-Across.  Reno is also the home of the National Judicial College.  I took some courses there about 20 years ago.

27. Photo session: SHOOT.


28. Latin jazz great Puente: TITO.  Tito Puente (né Ernesto Antoino Puente; Apr. 20, 1923 ~ May 31, 2000) is sometimes called the King of Latin Music.


34. Pres. or P.M.: LDR.  Presidents and Prime Ministers are Leaders of their respective countries.

35. Pulitzer category: DRAMA.


37. Sportscaster Albert: MARV.  Marv Albert (né Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; b. June 12, 1941) was involved in a sex scandal in the late 1990s.


38. Toronto native: ONTARIAN.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!


39. LED component: DIODE.

40. Hard-to-miss sign: NEON.


41. Beach pailful: SAND.



44. Summer shirt: TEE.
This shirt is appropriate now.  No need to wait until summer. 

45. Be absorbed gradually: OSMOSE.

46. Farfalle and fusilli: PASTAS.

The Farfalle, also known as Bow Tie,  is on the left.

47. Acting twins Mary-Kate and Ashley: OLSENS.


49. Cambridge chaps: BLOKES.

50. Treaty partner: ALLY.

53. Sandwich shop specification: ON RYE.  We just had some smoked whitefish on rye.  Yummers!


54. Lubricate again: RE-OIL.

55. Like "Stranger Things": EERIE.

60. Numbered hwy.: RTE.

62. Lowest-ranking NCO: CPL.

63. Roulette bet: ODD.  I initially tried Red.  But, instead, we were looking for Even or Odd, not colors.

64. Brewpub pour: ALE.

Here's the Grid:


QOD:  I believe that all children should be surrounded by books and animals.  ~  Gerald Durrell (Jan. 7. 1925 ~ Jan. 30, 1995), British naturalist

*   Golda Meir, David Ben-Gurion, Henrietta Szold and Theodor Herzl

Jan 6, 2020

Monday January 6, 2020 Craig Stowe

Theme:  LEADING LADY (58. Female box office star, and what the starts of the answers to starred clues can have) - The first word of each theme entry can follow "Lady".

17. *American independence symbol with a storied crack: LIBERTY BELL. Lady Liberty.

25. *1990 Gibson/Hawn film: BIRD ON A WIRE. Lady Bird.

35. *Pure chance, in poker and lotteries: LUCK OF THE DRAW. Lady Luck.

50. *Group of narrow bodies of water in upstate New York: FINGER LAKES. Ladyfinger..

Boomer here. 

I once visited the Lady Luck casino in Las Vegas and saw a wonderful magic show performed by (I believe her name was Belinda) a long time ago. Since back in those days my gambling was conservative nickel slot machines so I did not lose too much but Lady Luck was not near me.

Lady Luck was with P.J. Fleck and the "Row the Boat" Gophers on New Year's Day. I watched the game from my recliner chair for 3-1/2 hours and I was exhausted just watching P.J. run up and down the sidelines.  The Vikings did not "Row the Boat." They hooked up a 25 hp Evinrude to water ski past the Saints in the Big Easy. Both of our Minnesota teams were cast as severe underdogs but they proved the predictors wrong.  49ers here we come. 




Across:

1. Hired help: STAFF.  Wilson Staff is a sporting goods brand but normally takes a back seat to the specialized equipment makers.

6. Swiss currency: FRANC.  Very competitive to our $$$.  One Franc will cost you $1.03.


11. Show with a Miami spin-off: CSI.

14. With 31-Across, Spanish artist with a Blue Period: PABLO.  31. See 14-Across: PICASSO.

15. "Chicago" showgirl: ROXIE.  I believe there is a theater in San Francisco named ROXIE. I have two sisters that live out there.  C.C. and I were out there once but we did not see the theater.

16. "2001" computer: HAL.  Hal 9000 first appeared in a movie in 1968 back before anyone ever had seen a computer.

19. Civil War prez: ABE.  Until the golden dollars were minted, there were only a few presidents who had their likeness on money.  Abe made the penny and five dollar bill.  He deserves the recognition.

20. Fencing sword: EPEE.

21. "__ Haw": HEE.  I watch the reruns now and then.  Buck Owens and Roy Clark are talented but not my style. The jokes are CORNY.

22. About, on a memo: IN RE.

24. Some MIT grads: EES.  Electrical Engineers but I have never heard them acronymized.

29. Xterra automaker: NISSAN.  Seems to be a Japanese third to Toyota and Honda. I do like the looks of a Rogue but would not buy one.

32. Type: ILK.  The type M ILK comes from cows.

33. Four qts.: GAL.  The bells are ringing for me and my GAL.

34. Guy: MAN.  I am not old enough to remember MAN O'War but I know he passed up a ride in the Kentucky Derby because his owner thought the length was more that he could handle.

40. Gym exercise unit: REP.  Our Minnesota Rep is Dean Phillips, Dear Abby's grandson.  I like him but he sort of stays out of the limelight.   He is the first DFL Rep in our District in Minnesota since about 1961.


41. Peace symbol: VEE.  CNN showed "back to the 60s: films over the new year".  Lots of hippies with their VEE signals.  Timothy Leary tuned out in 1996.

42. Sticky stuff: GOO.

43. One kicked out: EVICTEE.

46. Maker of candy "Pieces": REESE'S.  And peanut butter cups.

53. European mount: ALP.  I wonder if they are sliding down one of these they holler "HALP"!

54. Waggable dog part: TAIL.

55. Deux halved: UNE.  In school I took four years of Latin and two quarters of French.  I don't know why unless it is required learning for "Jeopardy" and crosswords.

56. Shpeak thish way: SLUR.  I never was a drinker that got to slurring. but now I am on the wagon forever.  Doc says my pills and alcohol don't get along.

57. Cookie container: JAR.  If you drink moonshine out of a JAR, you may start to SLUR.

62. All-hrs. cash source: ATM.  Most only give twenties, but Las Vegas gives Benjamins.

63. Break up with a partner: END IT.  Sometimes three strikes will end it.  Baseball or bowling.

64. Mountain song: YODEL. Lady Hoo

65. "I'll do it!": YES.  There's a young lady bowler named Shannon Pluhowsky that hollers "YES" after every strike she rolls.


66. Plant anchors: ROOTS.  Alex Haley's Saga was one of the best TV dramas of all time.

67. Like Oscar Madison's room: MESSY.  And the "Odd Couple" wasn't too bad for comedy.

Down:

1. Organ near the stomach: SPLEEN.

2. Taiwan's capital: TAIPEI.  Taiwan is known as the "Republic of China". The "People's Republic of China" is the mainland.

3. Monastic sister's superior: ABBESS.  This is almost as confusing as what to call China.

4. Run away from: FLEE.

5. Jump-joy link: FOR.

6. Line cook's cooker: FRYER.  I have seen this produce great chicken under pressure in about 8 minutes.  I suppose KFC uses them non-stop.

7. Dressed like a boxer entering the ring: ROBED.

8. Firefighter's tool: AXE.  Normally they would use a hose ?

9. Nothing: NIL.  1956 Game Five of the World Series.  Yankees 2 Brooklyn Dodgers - NIL.  Don Larsen pitched for the Yankees that day and allowed NIL hits.  The toughest part was he had to catch Yogi jumping on him as the game ended.  Don passed away last week.  RIP.


10. Pertaining to the abdominal cavity: CELIAC.

11. Compelling charm: CHARISMA.  You don't see this much anymore.  I know I don't have it.

12. Handheld reciprocating cutting tool: SABER SAW.  I think I sold mine.You need to handle with care.

13. Land in la mer: ILE.

18. Consider: THINK OVER.  I have thought this over, and I think if you consider something, you think IT over.

23. "Straight Outta Compton" rappers: NWA.  See more here. Used to be an acronym for Northwest Airlines until Delta bought it.

25. Pitcher's wrong move: BALK.

26. Colorful fish: OPAH.  OOPS.  I better think this over.  At first I thought Ms. Winfrey was being called a colorful fish.

27. Color named for an African river: NILE GREEN.  Is this in a Crayola box??

28. Ages and ages: EON.  Like a PGA tournament ??

30. [Not my mistake]: SIC.

33. Onetime telecom giant: GTE.  Used to be a huge telephone company.  Now it just stands for a credit union that stole the acronym.

35. Rise in the air, as in a magic act: LEVITATE.  Belinda did not levitate anything, but part of her act was a motorcycle driver who did loops on the stage.

36. Indignant: UP IN ARMS.  Please do not get "Up In Arms" but this answer reminded me of "Babes in Arms" - a musical that my High School Drama club performed.

37. Have a hunch: FEEL.  How do you FEEL so far ??

38. Bucks' mates: DOES.  "Doe, a deer, a female deer, Re, a drop of golden sun."  The hills are alive, with the Sound of Music.

39. Canapé topper: ROE.  "Row the Boat, Gophers"

40. Football official: REF.  It seems that they are ALL called "REF" even though some are line judges and back judges.

44. Cinematic FX: CGI.

45. Bank employee: TELLER.  I spent awhile at the bank on Saturday. Either they did not have enough tellers or some of the customers took a long time with their business.

47. Beet and bean: SALADS.  I had a big salad for dinner on Saturday.  The kind Elaine likes on "Seinfeld".

48. Manages to evade: ELUDES.  It's amazing how sometimes a ten pin can elude me without even moving.  I picked all the buggers up on Thursday on the way to a 576.  I am getting better.

49. In an acrobatic fashion: SPRYLY.  No, I was not bowling SPRYLY.

51. Accountant's investigation: AUDIT. April 15 always comes too early.

52. Furrows, as one's brows: KNITS.

56. Gin flavoring: SLOE.  SLOE is some kind of a British fruit.  Leave it to some wise chap to figure out how to make liquor out of a prune.

57. Leno on TV: JAY.  I always liked him on the Tonight show.  I don't care much for his garage.  My garage is full of baseball cards.

59. Rock producer Brian: ENO.

60. Excitement: ADO.  "Adieu, Adieu, my friends adieu, yes adieu.  I can no longer stay with you."

61. Workout facility: GYM.

Boomer


Notes from C.C.:

Here is the hummus recipe from our foodie Steve.

He said "This sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't. The blender does all the work, and all you're really doing is peeling an onion, separating a bub of garlic into individual cloves and boiling some water."