Monday, April 30, 2012

Funny Twitter Tweet

Somewhere out there, a punk is considering adding a sudoku puzzle to their zine. @chris_of_arc (Chris J)

Friday, April 27, 2012

Found Sculpture I & Found Sculpture II





Found Sculpture I
Richmond & Huntingdon Sts.
Under I-95
Port Richmond - Philadelphia









Found Sculpture II
20th St. & North St. near Fairmount Ave.
Philadelphia

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Recipes: Patterns & Plaid

Avion Tamarindo Margarita

What's In It:

2 oz. Avion Silver Tequila
1 oz. Grand Marnier
.5 oz. lime juice
.5 oz. orange juice
1/2 tsp. tamarindo puree
1 tsp. sugar
Lime Peel for Garnish

How To Make It:

Combine Tequila, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice, Orange Juice, tamarindo puree and sugar in a shaker with ice. Strain into a margarita glass and garnish with a lime peel.

Tamarindo puree: to make puree to prepare 4 margaritas, begin with 1.5 pounds of fresh tamarinds. Boil the fruit for approximately 45 minutes or until they are tender. Allow the fruit to cool and strain to remove the seeds. Add 1/2 tsp. of salt and sugar and then blend the fruit pulp until a puree.


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Chile Cheese Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

1 stick (½ cup) butter
10 eggs
2 egg whites
½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 (8-oz) cans diced green chilies
1 quart (4 cups) cottage cheese
½ cup mascarpone cheese
1 lb shredded Monterrey Jack
Salt and pepper, to taste

Servings: 12

Active Time: 15 min

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Place butter in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Place pan in oven until butter is melted. Pour half the butter into a small bowl and set aside.

3. Beat eggs and egg whites lightly in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, chilies, all cheeses, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

4. Pour egg mixture into baking pan. Pour reserved butter evenly over the top.

5. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until casserole is set.

Cook’s Tips:

1. You can make this dish in advance and reheat it, covered, in a 325°F oven until hot.

2. Spice things up with a dab of green chili enchilada sauce or your favorite salsa.

3. A tossed green salad is a great accompaniment for this casserole.


Kitchen Counter:

Serves: 12. Per Serving: 440 calories, 9g carbs, 27g protein, 34g fat, 240mg cholesterol, 730mg sodium, 0g fiber


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Noted: Bonus Round Recipe (For L.S.)

"I will still do anything for eggplant parm.
Make a note, should we meet." -- Lisa Scottoline


Pasta with Eggplant, Tomato, and Ricotta Salata

This summer pasta is one that I make at least once when eggplant and tomatoes are truly at their peak. To keep the eggplant from absorbing too much oil, I salt it for several hours beforehand. When I have fresh cherry tomatoes in my garden, I dice a handful, toss them with some of the basil, then spoon them over the pasta just before serving. An excellent vegan pasta can be made without the cheese.

Serve this rich, summery pasta with a Sicilian Rose or White Wine from Regaleali.

Cut and salt the eggplant and set aside for 3 or more hours, then rinse and blot it dry. You can peel and slice the sauce tomatoes early on, too, toss them with a little oil, and set aside until needed. The sauce and pasta cook pretty much simultaneously. Peel the tomatoes with a paring knife or by dipping them for 10 seconds or so into boiling water and then slipping off the skins.

Ingredients:

(*) 2 pounds eggplant, any variety
(*) sea salt and freshly ground pepper
(*) 1/2 pound Roma or other ripe plum-type tomatoes, peeled
(*) 5 tablespoons olive oil
(*) 3/4 pound past wheels or spaghetti
(*) 1 small onion, thinly slice
(*) 1 garlic clove, minced
(*) 12 basil leaves, slivered
(*) a 3-ounce chunk of ricotta salata, thinly sliced
(*) a handful of fresh tomatoes, diced and tossed with some of the basil
(*) Parmigiano-Reggianio for grating

1. Peel the eggplant and cut into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Toss with a teaspoon of salt and set aside for several hours. When you're ready to cook, rinse off the salt, then squeeze it in an absorbent towel to wick off the water.

2. Slice the peeled tomatoes lengthwise into quarters, pull out the seeds, then cut them into strips. If you're not using them for a while, toss the strips in a little olive oil.

3. Put on a big pot of water for the pasta. Heat a large skillet with 1/4 cup oil. When hot (a piece of eggplant should sizzle when you drop it in), add the eggplant and quickly give it a stir. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, lowering the heat if the pan seems too hot, until the eggplant is browned and tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn it onto paper towels and wipe out the pan. Salt the boiling water and add the pasta.

4. Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat since it will already be very hot. Add a tablespoon of oil, then the onion, and cook for several minutes until it's pale gold and soft. Add the garlic and the tomato strips. Cook for several minutes, then add the eggplant to the pan and the bail, along with a little pasta water.

5. When the pasta is done, add it to the pan and toss with the ricotta salata. Serve garnished with the fresh tomatoes, pepper, and a dusting of freshly grated cheese.

Serves 4

Pasta with Vegetables Recipe Courtesy of:

Vegetarian Suppers From Deborah Madison's Kitchen

Page 69
Published 2005
Broadway Books (Random House, Inc.)

Monday, April 23, 2012

Chopper




Philly Location: Side Street off Aramingo Ave. (Near Applebee's)

Friday, April 20, 2012

Receipt



.....................................

Welcome To Wawa #119

Phone: (XXX) 426-8282

02/26/2012 08:23:13 TRX 4566628

Register#: 3 Cashier Id#: 123

1 PHILA INQUIRER SUNDAY $2.00
1 PALL MALL RED 100 BOX $4.31

2 Items SUBTOTAL $6.31
TAX $0.35

TOTAL $6.66

C U S T O M E R C O P Y

Payment: $6.66
Card: XXXX
Approval: XXXXXX
Ref Num: 89397

Richmond & Alleghney
Philadelphia, PA 19134

.....................................

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Head Games: Abe Lincoln’s Killer Is Worthy Of Bobbling



As I See It by John Scanlon,
Editor of the Northeast Times


OK, true, John Wilkes Booth never would have been recalled fondly as Abe Lincoln’s relatives flipped through photo albums during family picnics, but you have to acknowledge one thing about the presidential assassin. The guy had a lot of chutzpah.

He also was the subject of some fuss last week. Seems there’s some dismay that J.W. has his very own bobblehead doll for sale.

My recollection of high-school history is that learning about the Civil War era was by far the most fascinating part. The tragic overtones of that staggering, nation-destroying conflict defy comprehension generations later, but I’ll admit to still being mesmerized by that scenario of Southern sympathizer and respected actor Booth ambushing Abe with a gunshot to the head as the president sat in a balcony box at Washington’s stately Ford Theater, enjoying a comic farce called Our American Cousin, and then leaping to the stage below and fleeing as all hell broke loose.

Booth was like the 1865 version of Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. In 2012, I don’t feel any rage toward J.W. I don’t think back to what could have been if only Abe had decided to skip the tuxedo and theater and head instead to a D.C. karaoke bar that night. It’s not even worth fretting about how J.W.’s fanaticism caused us to be stuck with President Andrew Johnson, a Southern career lawmaker and racist with anger issues who almost got his butt removed from office after impeachment by the House.

In fact, who does dwell on all this stuff? None of it matters. Abe got whacked 147 years ago. Personally, when I think of Booth, I just shake my head and think, “Man, that J.W. was one brassy S.O.B.”

They call it history. Which brings us to the John Wilkes Booth bobblehead doll. No, really. Maybe you heard or read of the little brouhaha last week when the Gettysburg National Park gift shop cleared the shelves of Booth bobbleheads, suddenly deciding it wasn’t politically correct after a local reporter, obviously bored by a slow news day, wrote a story about whether it was prudent to be peddling J.W. dolls at the hallowed site where Abe somberly stood in the glow of his most shining moment on Nov. 19, 1863, the day of his truly remarkable Gettysburg Address.

It’s unfortunate that they surrendered this time at Gettysburg. Come on, these are ceramic dolls! Maybe 6 or 7 inches tall. J.W.’s big head is exaggerated on his small body, and yes, he’s holding his little pistol, which makes sense because, as far as we know, he didn’t zap Abe with a Taser.

Even a spokeswoman for the Gettysburg Foundation noted there’d been no complaints during the week the Booth bobblehead was for sale, at which point the decision was made that Abe’s bobblehead could stay but that J.W.’s probably should go.

Booth got a raw deal here. Like it or not, J.W. — just like Abe — was a key player who symbolized a defining moment in our nation’s history. And history also tells us that J.W. got his comeuppance in the end, ultimately tracked to a Virginia farm by Union soldiers and shot to death in the barn about two weeks after Lincoln’s slaying.

Depending whether you’re from the North or the South, the Civil War has long been politicized and even censored, depending how you want to change the course of history. There are elements of that here.

Does putting J.W. back in his box and toting him to the storage room make things right? Not really. If you want J.W.’s bobblehead as an offbeat collectible, buy it. And if you want to buy J.W.’s bobblehead simply to smash it to smithereens, perhaps a bit of cathartic retribution for an evil deed he committed nearly 150 years ago, then do that too.

Let the public decide what’s tasteful.

It probably says a lot that BobbleHead LLC, the Kansas City firm that produces the novelties, has sold more than 150 of an original run of 250 Booth dolls, at roughly $20 each, with plans to make more.

Of course, when it comes to bobbleheads, I’ll concede there are folks who are off-limits and would have zero marketing appeal. You don’t do terror leaders. You especially don’t do the Kardashian sisters. Lee Harvey Oswald? I think he’s bobble-worthy. When it comes to John F. Kennedy, I’d likely refrain from producing the deluxe bobblehead edition of him and Marilyn in their bathrobes, but Oswald, much like John Wilkes Booth a century before him, shares a historic footnote in the assassination of a storied president whose legacy still thrives nearly 50 years later.

Booth’s bobblehead deserves a shelf in Gettysburg’s gift shop. He is a villain, no doubt about it, and there was everything cowardly in his rise to martyrdom among compatriots in the war-torn South, but you can’t rewrite April 14, 1865. He and Abe shared equal billing on that history-making night at Ford Theater. ••

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Monday, April 9, 2012

"Zoe Strauss: Ten Years"

Till April 22, 2012
Philadelphia Museum of Art




Nick's Pizza, Philadelphia, 2009 (image); 2011 (print). Photograph by Zoe Strauss, American, born 1970. Inkjet print, Image: 20 x 30 1/8 inches (50.8 x 76.5 cm), Sheet: 24 x 34 inches (61 x 86.4 cm). Gift of the artist and the Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2011.




Clothes in Lot, Gulfport, MS, 2005 (image); 2011 (print). Photograph by Zoe Strauss. Inkjet print, Image: 12 x 18 1/16 inches (30.5 x 45.9 cm), Sheet: 16 x 22 inches (40.6 x 55.9 cm). Gift of the artist and the Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2011.




Mom Were OK, Biloxi, MS, 2005 (image); 2011 (print). Photograph by Zoe Strauss. Inkjet print, Image: 12 x 18 inches (30.5 x 45.7 cm), Sheet: 16 x 22 inches (40.6 x 55.9 cm). Gift of the artist and the Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2011.




Everything, Philadelphia, 2005 (image); 2011 (print). Photograph by Zoe Strauss. Inkjet print, Image: 20 x 29 13/16 inches (50.8 x 75.7 cm), Sheet: 24 x 34 inches (61 x 86.4 cm). Gift of the artist and the Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2011.

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Background Article/Info

The Complete History of Every One: On Zoe Strauss by Barry Schwabsky (The Nation)

Friday, April 6, 2012

From The Philly Files: Target Trek

<----------
Target Trip
(To/Fro & In Between)
Sun Feb 19th
11ish am - Noon
---------->









Wednesday, April 4, 2012

April 2012: Thought For The New Month

"What is seen is temporal, but what is unseen is eternal."

-- New Testament, 2 Corinthians 4:18

Sunday, April 1, 2012

IPO

Automotive Acne (Productions) is on hiatus until Blogspot.com pays $1million cash - direct deposit, or an equilivant amount of Google.com stock to the Editor ("Allan Smithee") of A.A.(Productions) for re-activation, ie, new entries/posts.


Note: A.A.(P.) will relocate to Tumblr.com or Typepad.com for $500thousand & $500thousand signing bonus ($1million total cash).

May The Bidding War Begin!