Turkey Leftovers

let the games begin

I was looking up left over turkey recipes and didn't see my favorite, Turkey Devonshire, on any of the lists. So, I googled Turkey Devonshire on its own and discovered that the reason it wasn't on any of the lists I looked at is because it is a Pittsburgh thing.

Pittsburghers have been dining on Devonshire sandwiches (and its variations) since 1934. That's when the creator of the Devonshire, Frank Blandi, opened his first restaurant, The Stratford, at Millvale and Centre avenues in Shadyside. The sandwich was such a success Blandi began making the sauce in five-gallon batches.

You learn something new everyday.

Here is the original recipe:

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Frank Blandi's Original Devonshire Sandwich
Cream Sauce:
3/4 stick butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/4 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
1 pint chicken broth
1 pint hot milk
1 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in deep pan and add flour, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and then hot milk, stirring all the while. Add cheese and salt. Bring to boil, then cook slowly for 20 minutes, still stirring. Cool to lukewarm. Beat with wire whip until smooth before using. This makes enough sauce for 6 Devonshire sandwiches.

For each sandwich:
1 slice toast, crusts trimmed off
3 slices crisp bacon
5 thin slices cooked turkey breast
Cream Sauce, recipe above
Melted butter
Parmesan cheese and paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In each flat, individual oven-proof casserole dish, place 1 slice of toast and top with 3 slices bacon. Add 5 thin slices of cooked turkey breast. Cover completely with cream sauce. Sprinkle with a little melted butter, then with the combined Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

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Me? I'm much too lazy to make it that way. To me, the whole point of leftovers is that they are already prepared. Just heat and eat, right? My recipe isn't quite that simple, but it is pretty close.

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Bacon
Sliced Bread
Turkey
Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup.

Fry the bacon. Toast the bread. Nuke the turkey.

Add less milk to the soup so that it is more saucy than soupy. Pour it over the other ingredients. Don't be shy, drown that stuff with the cheese sauce!

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Happy Thanksgiving

Here are a couple of quick pictures for you:





Have a great day of parades, food, and football.

Meet Faith The Wonder Dog

it's ok to point and laugh

I found this on Rachel Lucas's blog and just had to post it here. Faith is a dog who is without front legs. She overcame it and gets around by walking upright and hopping like a kangaroo. Incredible.

Thomas Sowell Readers Digest Condensed Soup

mmm, mmm, good

I straight jacked this from the Thomas Sowell Appreciation Facebook group. They took it from Wiki, so my hands are clean. Thomas Sowell is one of my favorite columnists. I especially enjoy his "Random Thought" articles. They are kind of like Ben Franklin mixed with Yogi Berra for the modern age. Then again, many of the thoughts have been learned and forgotten several times. Enjoy.

"One of the bitter ironies of the 20th century was that communism, which began as an egalitarian doctrine accusing capitalism of selfishness and calloused sacrifices of others, became in power a system whose selfishness and callousness toward others made the sins of capitalism pale."

"'Entitlement' is not only the opposite of achievement, it undermines incentives to do all the hard work that leads to achievement. It is the people who were born and raised in the welfare state atmosphere who seem to have great difficulty finding jobs."

"Envy plus rhetoric equals 'social justice'."

"One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain."

"Blacks were not enslaved because they were black but because they were available. Slavery has existed in the world for thousands of years. Whites enslaved other whites in Europe for centuries before the first black was brought to the Western hemisphere. Asians enslaved Europeans. Asians enslaved other Asians. Africans enslaved other Africans, and indeed even today in North Africa, blacks continue to enslave blacks."


"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics."

"Both free speech rights and property rights belong legally to individuals, but their real function is social, to benefit vast numbers of people who do not themselves exercise these rights."

"Prices are important not because money is considered paramount but because prices are a fast and effective conveyor of information through a vast society in which fragmented knowledge must be coordinated."

"The real minimum wage is zero [unemployment]."

"Imagine a political system so radical as to promise to move more of the poorest 20% of the population into the richest 20% than remain in the poorest bracket within the decade? You don't need to imagine it. It's called the United States of America."

"A recently reprinted memoir by Frederick Douglass has footnotes explaining what words like 'arraigned,' 'curried' and 'exculpate' meant, and explaining who Job was. In other words, this man who was born a slave and never went to school educated himself to the point where his words now have to be explained to today's expensively under-educated generation."

"Each new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late."

"Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric."

"One of the most fashionable notions of our times is that social problems like poverty and oppression breed wars. Most wars, however, are started by well-fed people with time on their hands to dream up half-baked ideologies or grandiose ambitions, and to nurse real or imagined grievances."

"Like a baseball game, wars are not over till they are over. Wars don't run on a clock like football. No previous generation was so hopelessly unrealistic that this had to be explained to them."

"Would you bet your paycheck on a weather forecast for tomorrow? If not, then why should this country bet billions on 'global warming' predictions that have even less foundation?

"Many of the same people who cry 'No blood for oil' also want higher gas-mileage standards for cars. But higher mileage standards have meant lighter and flimsier cars, leading to more injuries and deaths in accidents — in other words, trading blood for oil."

"It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance."

"The simplest and most psychologically satisfying explanation of any observed phenomenon is that it happened that way because someone wanted it to happen that way."

"Facts do not 'speak for themselves.' They speak for or against competing theories. Facts divorced from theories or visions are mere isolated curiosities."

"The march of science and technology does not imply growing intellectual complexity in the lives of most people. It often means the opposite."

You can find his columns over at Townhall.

Michael Crichton, Yul Brynner, and Westworld

who loves ya, baby?

Rachel Lucas posted an article about new robot technology that mimics human facial expressions. The picture provided made me instantly think of Yul Brynner in Westworld.



One of her commentors mentioned Kevin Spacey. Touche`. I'm going to stick with Yul Brynner though because, along with the appearance, the technology made me think of Westworld. Besides, it's a generation thing. Back in the day you couldn't look at a bald guy without instantly thinking of either Yul Brynner or Telly Savalas.

Plot summary from Imdb:

A amusement park for rich vacationers. The park provides its customers a way to live out their fantasies through the use of robots that provide anything they want. Two of the vacationers choose a wild west adventure. However, after a computer breakdown, they find that they are now being stalked by a rogue robot gun-slinger.

This was one of my favorite movies growing up. I was always particularly fond of movies and books having to do with the "Wild West", and then to add rogue robots into the mix? You damn skippy.

An interesting side note, this movie was written and directed by Michael Crichton. I didn't know that until I looked it up today. The man obviously didn't look at amusement parks the same way as most people. They seemed to have a habit of turning bad in his stories. Unfortunately, he passed away earlier this month. He left behind an impressive body of work.

Here is a scene from Westworld. Keep in mind that only James Brolin's (I know, get over it), and Richard Benjaman's characters are human. The rest are robots.



Also, here is an extended trailer. This is probably the better video, but it is set not to allow embeds.

If you enjoy Westerns and Science Fiction then I recommend this movie. The effects obviously don't hold up, the movie was made in 1973, but the story is solid.

Fake Breaking Election News

oh goodie

This just in: Polls have closed in Holland and France. They're calling them early for Obama.

On a brighter note, all of the former Soviet breakaway countries are showing McCain up big!

Happy Voting Day

Have You Heard That The Bird Is The Word?

I'm sorry, I thought everyone had heard

Hello, Gasgwar here. You know, there's an issue facing many Americans today that I know concerns a great number of us. According to recent Gallup polls one in twelve Americans is unaware that the bird is the word. I for one dream of an America where everyone knows that the bird is the word.


Family Guy - The Bird's the Word - Click here for more amazing videos

This cracked me up. I don't know why, but it did, and that's good enough for me.

Red S.E. Cupp

welcome to the neighborhood

My new favorite author, S.E. Cupp has a sparkling new blog, Red S.E. Cupp.

Welcome to Red S.E. Cupp, my new online home. Here you can peruse my op-eds, view my video clips, listen to my podcasts and read my blog posts. You'll also be able to link up to some of my favorite bloggers, writers, pundits and YouTube auteurs.

To get you started, here is a funny clip of her on The Strategy Room. She and Straka (he of grrrr fame) had a night on the town and got down with Wonder Woman. Straka is a party animal.

A Catalog of Political Cartoons by Dr. Seuss

horton hears a hoover

Many people are probably unaware that Dr. Seuss also dabbled in editorial cartoons. I know I was surprised when I came across this website a few years ago. It is the website by the author of Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel

Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904-1991) was a life-long cartoonist: in high school in Springfield, Massachusetts; in college at Dartmouth (Class of 1925); as an adman in New York City before World War II; in his many children's books, beginning with To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street (1937). Because of the fame of his children's books (and because we often misunderstand these books) and because his political cartoons have remained largely unknown, we do not think of Dr. Seuss as a political cartoonist. But for two years, 1941-1943, he was the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM (1940-1948), and for that journal he drew over 400 editorial cartoons.

This is my favorite of the bunch. It is dated August 14, 1941 and it speaks to appeasement. Replace the swastika's with Crescent Moon's and the cartoon remains extremely relevant.



Check out the website, A Catalog of Political Cartoons by Dr. Seuss, it gives unique insight into the political climate leading up to and during U.S. involvement in WWII.

Hat tip to Cox & Forkum for introducing me to the editorial cartoons of Dr. Seuss. They have produced an impressive collection of editorial cartoons themselves. Unfortunately, they stopped producing editorial cartoons on September 30th, 2007. However, their website remains up as an archive of their work.

Here is one of my favorites from Cox & Forkum dated August 05,2003:

Vidugiris Pumpkin Carver

go ahead and try it. you know you wanna.

Note: The site that I used to host this app was having problems and it affected the load time on my site. I removed the app. Problem solved. Don't worry! You can still play with the pumpkin! Just go here. Enjoy!

Cool Halloween time waster. An on-line, virtual pumpkin carver. Seeds not included.

New Facebook Group: Conservative Humor

you join. you join now.

I started a new Facebook group. It's called Conservative Humor. Feel free to post links, videos, photos, whatever. I only ask that you keep it PG-13.

Also, add me as a friend on Facebook. My profile name is Jonathon Doyle.

1000 Awesome Things

1. finding a unique blog

I found a truly awesome blog today. It is called 1000 Awesome Things. Check it out if you've never been there. It is filled with memories, feelings, and perceptions that many people share. I would describe it as the Jerry Seinfeld stand-up routine of blogs. Here are some samples:

#995 Finding money you didn't even know you lost
#989 Blowing your nose in the shower - I have a feeling that only the men will appreciate this one
#974 High tens
#960 Strategic trick-or-treating - my personal favorite

My summary? Awesome! Counting backwards from 1000 he is at number 910, with the promise of a new awesome entry every weekday.

A Jam Handy Production

the name oozes quality

A while ago I saw a short film on Mystery Science Theater 3000. It was A Case of Spring Fever. The magic of the Internet allows me to post it here.



The video by itself is funny. Deliciously absurd, I would call it. MST3k makes it hilarious. It was made by a guy named Jam Handy. No, really. He was an interesting guy, actually. Kind of a poor man's Howard Hughes.

He produced short films for General Motors, the Armed Services (during World War II), and many others for schools and other companies. They all have a feel that takes me back to grade school. You can almost hear the projector running in the background. Grade school, for me, was the late seventies, early eighties. Yes, the films they sometimes showed us were probably from the fifties and sixties. I imagine it's very different today. Shame.

Jam Handy was also an Olympic Swimmer. Check out his Wiki Page. He was an interesting guy.

Michael Yon, Enough Said

like having your boots on the ground. minus the bullets.

Michael Yon is, without a doubt, the most compelling war journalist of our time. If you have never read him, click the link and get a first hand account of things. If you are familiar with him, you already know what I'm talking about.

Now go out there, read his newest account, and get you some knowledge.

Hat Tip: Barking Moonbat for pointing me to Yon's newest.

Top Ten Reasons to Vote for Obambi

man, this is haaaard!

Basil has David Letterman's Top Ten Reasons to Vote For Obambi up. The only thing missing is Dave adjusting his tie and asking, "Is it hot in here?" My opinion, of course.

Such a shame. I used to watch Dave all of the time back in the eighties. My typical summer night went something like this:

1. Come home drunk.
2. Make some sloppy drunk food.
3. Watch Johnny Carson.
4. Watch David Letterman.
5. Watch Star Trek.
6. Pass out.
7. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat.

Oh, to be an early teen again. These days Dave is an angry, shrill lib-tard. Maybe he always was and I changed? I miss Johnny Carson.

Another Newly Released Photo of Kim Jong Il

the man gets around



Yep, still looks crazy to me.

Incidentally, here's a fun fact. My inspiration for this was the wacky sports fan who showed up at all the major sporting events back in the seventies, wearing that wig. For some reason I associate him with the Houston Astros. It just now dawned on me that this is most likely due to the tacky rainbow uniforms the Astros wore in that era.

Anyway, via The Love of Sport's 10 Most Famous Sports Fans article I learned this:

With his rainbow-colored afro wig and John 3:16 signs, Rollen Stewart stood out from the crowd at numerous nationally televised sporting events during the late ‘70s and ‘80s. Rainbow Man was spotted at the World Series, the Indy 500, the Kentucky Derby, the NBA Finals, the Olympics and even made an appearance at the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. He was even parodied by Christopher Walken in a “Saturday Night Live” skit. Stewart’s now serving three consecutive life sentences for kidnapping. I wonder how he wears his hair for the boys in the joint.

Who woulda thunk that guy wasn't right in the head?

When Men Were Men

and sheep were scared

Frankj points out something so obvious that I can't believe nobody else picked up on it. Reporters lost their integrity when they stopped wearing fancy reporter hats.

It makes perfect sense to me. I'll take it a little further and say this country needs to get back into a pre "New Deal" mindset. After all, we are getting ready to go through The Great Depression II: this time it's personal.

As a nation, we need to pull together and adopt some of the phrases of old, such as:

"Look at the gams on that dame!"
"What's the big idea, mister?"
"What's your angle, Mac?"
"Yeah, see?"
"You'll never get me alive, coppers! Bah!"

It might not do anything to help the economy, but dammit it will be fun to say Bah! without fear of social awkwardness.

A Harmless Milk Snake

I knew it all along

I did some research to find out what kind of snake it was that turned up dead in my basement yesterday.

I found what I was looking for on the Commonwealth of PA, Fish and Boat Commission website. (Fish and boat?)

From the website:


In particular, the harmless milk snake most often ends up at the wrong end of a garden hoe or shovel because it was believed to be a copperhead. Telephone calls to the Commission from homeowners with a snake in their basement, yard or garage usually begin with the person excitedly declaring, "we have copperheads!" In the end, after some information has been exchanged in all but a very few cases, the unexpected visitors are determined to be a species other than the copperhead.



The checkerboard pattern on the belly of the harmless eastern milk snake is another characteristic that can help people distinguish copperheads from nonvenomous snakes.

Luckily, my photo captures both the top, and underbelly.

Look What I found In My Basement

now how do I kill it?



Fortunately, it was already dead. I did smack it against a tree a few to twenty times, just to make sure. What can I say? I have been channeling Wilford Brimely lately and that is something he would have done. Why? 'Cause it's the right thing to do.

I did manage to stop myself from making a cut with my bone-handled knife and sucking the blood sugar from it. I was at least able to resist that idea from my inner Brim.

I'll have to google it later to see what kind of snake that is. If anyone knows, let me know in the comments.

Update: It's a harmless milk snake.

The Beat of Just One Drum

whatchoo talkin 'bout willis?

Cowboy Blob has his Weekend Photoshop / Caption Contest up. Here is the photo and my caption entry. I don't know why I love these things, but I do ... and it makes me feel dirty.


Gary Coleman wasn't proud of mutilating the Shetland Pony, but they do make the finest drums.