Wattle not waddle

McConnell doesn’t have what it takes to be a Waddle Pants Man.

Who needs judges, without that Rule of Law that they were there for.

Whoops, I “fowled” that one up.

Let me peer into my crystal ball:

Some Democrats indicated that they don’t see [extremist right-wing judge] as the kind of right-wing candidate they feared [extremist right-wing president] would select.

“This is a credible nominee, and not one that — as far as we know now — has a record that in any sense could be described as extremist,” said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said [extremist right-wing president] had “made a wise choice.”

Asked whether a filibuster was likely, Nelson said: “I think it’s fair to say I don’t see anything coming out right now.”

“My sense is so far, so good,” summed up Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.

That GOP President won’t fear the Democrats’ retaliation because–thanks to the Democrats–that GOP President will have dictatorial powers.

HAH! Kind of like trying to ice skate on a pond that is not frozen, when you can’t swim?

Good morning, pups. It’s Brooks and Krugman this morning. Bobo’s gabbling on about “The Responsibility Deficit.” He says over the next two years we’ll probably see political gridlock on stilts. But there are creative ways to reverse it. And we all know how creative Bobo is… Prof. Krugman, in “Downhill With the G.O.P.” says these days one of America’s two great political parties routinely makes nonsensical promises. Banana republic, here we come.

Here they are.

The coffee and tea are ready, and I’ve got banana pancakes for breakfast. I’m off to scratch my head and ponder cookbooks because I can’t decide what to make for dessert this evening. We’ve got friends coming over for roast lamb, new potatoes and green beans and I’ve drawn a blank on dessert. Any ideas, anyone?

*Magic Pie*

So called because just like *magic*, presto chango, a pile of ingredients separates into three perfect layers! Delicious coconut custard pie that is fabulous served with cream or fruit, or both! I have included converted American measurements as best as I can.

75g plain flour, sifted (1/2 cup plus one scant TBS)
220g caster sugar (1 cup plus 1 TBS plus 1 tsp)
60g dessicated coconut (1/2 cup, slightly heaped)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g of butter, melted (1/2 cup plus 2 tsp)
40g of flaked almonds, divided (scant 1/2 cup)
500ml of whole milk (2 cups)

To serve:
Fresh or tinned fruit and or cream

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter a deep 9 1/2 inch pie or flan dish well and set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, coconut, eggs, extract, butter and half of the nuts together in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring until completely amalgamated. Pour into the prepared dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining flaked almonds on top. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool.

Serve cut into wedges along with some cream or fruit, if desired.

Orange yah glad you voted blue?

Thanks! That sounds delicious! I’ve got a scale that weighs in grams, so European measurements aren’t a problem. That’s going straight into my recipe file.

On edit: I’ve also bookmarked that site. I’ve had some of the best meals of my life in England, and I’m going to be prowling around there looking for yumminess.

Had some great fish and chips and sushi in London.

I came upon the site one afternoon and got lost there for bloody hours. A number of recipes take me back to my youth and my mother’s wonderful cooking.

Some of the afternoon tea goodies are definitely not for the calorie conscious however.

This week we go and pick up our organic lamb for the freezer…about 50lbs.

I sense a sternly worded letter coming the GOP’s way in the future. Oh, the humanity!

If any of you are skeptical about finding great food in Britain check out Great British Cooking: A Well-Kept Secret. Not only will you find wonderful recipes (best shepherd’s pie I’ve ever eaten) but it’s a delightful read as well.

I was under the impression that anything served with afternoon tea was calorie-free, just like Christmas cookies. Don’t tell me I’m wrong??!!

I’m rooting for SHARON ANGLES……….THAT WILL GIVE US A NEW MAJORITY LEADER.

Obama will come up with a bipartisan compromise. When you have no values or principles compromise is easy. All he has to do is appoint conservatives.

Maybe I’m subconsciously misremembering this so I can make the Democrats look bad, but I seem to recall a time about five years ago when the Democrats were filibustering 10 of Bush’s judicial nominees. It was a tiny fraction out of the more than 200 that he had nominated, but it was still enough to inspire great outrage among the GOP.

The Republicans threatened to use a tactic called the “nuclear option” (or, the “nucular option” as the Dim Son would say) that would eliminate the judicial filibuster. In order to prevent this acrimonious outcome, a group of 14 Senators called the “Gang of 14″ got together to work out a deal. In the end, they negotiated a “compromise” in which the Democrats would agree not to filibuster unless the nominee was unqualified or had serious ethical shortcomings. In return, the Democrats would be allowed to block half of the nominees that they were filibustering at the moment while the other half would be allowed a vote.

So, to sum it all up, the Democrats pretty much gave up the judicial filibuster without a fight and the number of judges that they were allowed to block could be counted on one hand. Somehow, this agreement disappeared when Obama became President, and Republicans are allowed to block his nominees at will. This looks like a tremendous act of self-pwnage on the part of the Dems, but maybe I’m just being a purist.