The anecdotal evidence is in!

(Some) Girls' sports make more money than (some) boys' sports! Basically, it is limited to youth sports and based on the position of young daughters in society. Check out the NYT for more details. I wonder how long it will take for this to be spun into girls' sports take away from boys' sports. . . .But good for all those families supporting their children like this!

Cooking (again) & Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan is a great food writer. He wrote an article which I'll talk more about after I get back from taking my boxer to the vet. (A store for another day.) A great read and my response ties back to my defense of Sandra Lee. Since my dog-sitter swiped my SL Cooking 3 cookbook from the library, you'll have to wait to read about my efforts at the recipes. Last night's cooking with Kate was fun and I think that even though the breadcrumbs and the pasta were not homemade, it officially counts as cooking.

The Beer Summit & Why Vampires Never Die

An article on the "Beer Summit" from the NYTimes. I admire the way all parties involved are handling the incident. I think we could all learn a great deal from their example.

An op-ed piece on the allure of the vampire by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Who doesn't love a good vampire story?

Spaghetti with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I actually cooked dinner tonight and we brought our lunch to work. I found this recipe in one of those recipe machines at the grocery store. It is a Rachael Ray recipe.

I added about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of chopped onion to the tomato mixture. I also bought the wrong size of canned tomatoes and had half of what the recipe calls for. Next time, I'll make sure I have the right amount. I also cooked it covered as I was concerned about the lack of liquid (I, um, just figured out my mistake). Kate helped shape the meatballs around the cheese. Some of the cheese melted out some of the meatballs. Kate said she didn't like it. She ate her three meatballs and her plain angel hair pasta. She says she doesn't like a lot of things and then one day she does. She thought the meatballs were too moist and she likes my old drier meatball recipe. The kid is just odd. :)

I took pictures both in the pot and on the plate. But I can't figure out how to get them off the camera. One thing at a time I guess. . .

I only have two complaints/comments, (1) the recipe says it serves 6 and that it makes 20 meatballs. 20 is not evenly divisible by 6. (2) it actually made 19. If I can make this, anyone can! Pretty good I'd say! I will definitely be making this one again, but next time, I'll actually follow the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk or water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed and 1 chopped
• Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• Salt
• 1 pound lean ground sirloin
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 large egg
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 (1/2-inch) cubes
• 1 pound spaghetti

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk.

2. In a large, wide saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season to taste with salt and let the sauce simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the beef, chopped garlic, parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg and 1 teaspoon of salt to the soaked bread crumbs and stir with a fork until combined. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your hand and press a mozzarella cube into the center. Shape the meat around the cheese, forming a ball. Repeat with the remaining meat and mozzarella.

4. Stir the sauce and raise the heat to medium- low. Carefully place the meatballs in the sauce, submerging them completely. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook without stirring for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, and drain. Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

515

515, that's how many words I have to write a day to get a 50,000 word book done before the end of the 2009 Harlequin Presents Writing Competition. Actually given my tendency to delete at least half of what I wrote the day before, that's how much ahead I need to get each day. . .515

Glenn Beck is an ass.

Every time I see Glenn Beck or read what he has said or written, I come to the same conclusion, Glenn Beck is a clown and an ass. Today's evidence:

Beck made the statement during a guest appearance today on the "Fox & Friends" morning show. He said Obama has exposed himself as a person with "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."

His remarks came during a discussion of Obama's reaction to the arrest of Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Gates is black and was arrested for disorderly conduct by a white policeman over a misunderstanding about a break-in at Gates' home.

. . .

Beck's statement was challenged on the air by Fox host Brian Kilmeade, who noted that most of the people who work for the nation's first black president are white.

"I'm not saying he doesn't like white people," Beck said. "He has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist."

Really, Glenn? A deep-seated hatred for white people? Because he said that the police officer arresting a man in his own home for being upset about being accused of breaking and entering his own home? Really, Glenn?

I did like what General Powell had to say on the matter via CNN. Gen. Powell noted that both Gates and the arresting officer could have handled the situation better. I would add that the arresting officer *should* have handled the situation better. I understand why Gates didn't handle it differently. In the article, Powell comments on Palin, Limbaugh, and other political topics. Good article, reminds me of why I like him and wish he would run on the Dem's ticket for national office.

Kilpatrick

Articles like this one in the Detroit Free Press make me wonder what Kwayme Kilpatrick must be like in person. It has come out that he had an "improper personal relationship" with the woman who was appointed to over see the Detroit Police Department. I'm not sure what exactly an improper personal relationship is, but it doesn't sound good. Is he that irresistible? He seems resistible to me. She isn't the first other, other woman we have heard about in this mess. How many women was he having affairs with? How many of them knew there were so many of them? Did any of them care that there were so many of them? I feel like there are so many questions with this man, his affairs, and his marriage, I wouldn't know where to start . . . I guess some of them are none of our business . . . but some of them are. . .

I will say that one of the things that really annoys me about the articles on this topic is that so many of them keep saying that "she" was paid over $180,000 a month when, in fact, it was a team of people who were paid that amount. I didn't see anywhere that said how much she specifically was paid

Gmail Headlines

My gmail news banner had the following link: CNN.com Recently Published/Updated - Sarkozy tells France he is in rude health - 2 hours ago.

When you click on it, the actual headline is "Sarkozy tells France he is in good health"

Rude health, that is awesome. What exactly is rude health?

Library

I really love our local library. I mentioned earlier that I check out Joy of Cooking and Sandra Lee's Cooking 3. My complete library list:

• Ethical fundraising : a guide for nonprofit boards and fundraisers / Janice Gow Pettey, editor.
• Black tie optional : a complete special events resource for nonprofit organizations / Harry Freedman
• Road to Wellville / T. Coraghessan Boyle.
• The Moneypenny diaries / edited by [i.e. written by] Kate Westbrook.
• Jane Austen ruined my life / Beth Pattillo.
• Turn coat : a novel of the Dresden files / Jim Butcher.
• The talent code : greatness isn't born, it's grown, here's how / Daniel Coyle.
• The search / Christiane Heggan.
• Blood dreams / Kay Hooper.
• Out of time / by Samantha Graves.
• Dead beat : a novel of the Dresden files / Jim Butcher.
• Small favor : a novel of the Dresden files / Jim Butcher.
• Grease [sound recording] : the original soundtrack from the motion picture.
• Blink : the power of thinking without thinking / Malcolm Gladwell.
• Team of rivals [sound recording] : [the political genius of Abraham Lincoln] / Doris Kearns Goodwin.
• The devil's eye / Jack McDevitt.
• When Bruce met Cyn--- / Lori Foster.
• Manhunting / Jennifer Crusie.
• Pippi Longstocking [sound recording] / Astrid Lindgren.
• Joy of cooking / Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker ; illustrated by John Norton
• Semi-homemade cooking 3 / Sandra Lee.

Annoyingly, when I got home I started Manhunting and discovered I had already read. I was reading Dead Beat until I was distracted by Realm of Empires on facebook which led to being distracted by hulu. I am planning to do a review of Dead Beat when I finally get it finished. It is so far a good book.

Sandra Lee again

I'm not ready, I'm just not ready to leave her. I have decided to forgive her the craziness of the Kwanzaa cake. I made this decision tonight in the library when I checked out Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 3. Then I promptly went home and made mac & cheese for dinner (Kate also had carrots & I had a turkey dog). Oh and it was Kraft. You know what else I checked out of the library, the 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy of Cooking. And, ah, then I made some Kraft Mac & Cheese (and I liked it).

I gotta tell you, for all the shit she takes online from the "experts", some of the stuff in this book looks good. And frankly, it makes me think I can cook. I could give a crap Anthony Bourdain like her or her style. I am in no way impressed by a man who eats sheep testicles, ant eggs, and other disgusting things. She really seems to piss him off. I like that she wants to connect with me and make my life easier. All while he is off gallivanting around the world eating rectums and other unfortunate body parts. He does not inspire me to want to cook for my family.

I think I am going to try to make a few meals from her cookbook. I will try to take pictures and share the results with you here.