Dread Pirate Alice

Pumpkin Muffin, originally uploaded by Pirate Alice.

Adventures in cooking

Since Chicago was hit with 6 inches of pain this weekend, (heh) I stayed in and cooked in the new dutch oven and then baked some pumpkin muffins. The pumpkin muffins were inspired by Panera Bread having run out of muffins when I got there. They still had the sign near the mass of muffins making me think there were some pumpkin ones in there, but like I could tell which were which? Alas, earlier this week my need of pumpkin muffins was not fulfilled. So I made some today. Luckily I had all the necessary ingredients.

My dutch oven cooking needed some revisions to the recipe. I decided to make One Pot Tuna and Noodles. The recipe called for Lipton Onion Soup Mix, which did not have, so I had to fudge that (beef bullion cube, onion powder, garlic powder,celery salt and a clove of garlic in the garlic press did the trick. If I had minced onion I’d have used that too.) The recipe also called for green beans, which I didn’t have either. So I used some canned asparagus. They said to use Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodles. I had Barilla Campanelle. It also wanted shredded American cheese. I only had cheddar and mozzerella. The recipe came out kinda watery, so I crushed up a handful of flavored triscuits (fire roasted tomato & olive oil flavor) and threw in some plain bread crumbs too. MUCH BETTER! It was good, but not very photogenic, hence no pictures of that.

Why are you hitting people at all?

Roger Ebert is embarrassed by an incident at the Toronto Film Festival. But I don’t think he should be. I don’t see it as someone picking on “poor Roger Ebert” I see it as a rude jerk hitting someone in a dark movie theatre. This critic, has been identified as Lou Lumenick of the New York Post. Why did he insist on leaning out into the aisle when the person behind him asked him politely to move? What in his head told him it was OK to hit another person? Didn’t he realize he was in a theater with a lot of journalists? Fellow film critics? Why on earth would you hit someone at all, much less someone you can’t see? Did his parents teach him nothing about kindness to others and manners?

This is just evidence that manners and politeness have taken a turn downward. WWMMS! What would Miss Manners say? I’m disgusted to hear this story, but I am glad that it is out in the open. Seriously, we need to learn how to be polite to others. If someone taps you on the shoulder in a dark movie theatre, don’t yell at them they paid as much as you did to see and read the movie screen. How about being courteous and adjusting yourself in the seat.