Monthly Archives: April 2024

Yoga Instructor on Eggs

It needed to be said:

Yoga Instructor #11

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: yoga instructor | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You Need to See A Mama Elephant and Her Baby Running

Life can be hard. Life can be stressful. The world can be way too peoply. We want to chuck our cares away and run free in wide open spaces. But we can’t. But others can, like this momma elephant and her baby elephant in Africa. Go, elephants, go. Run for joy for all of back here. Wee hee!

You need to see #37

 

 

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: you need to see | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Starter Free Sourdough Bread

American Appetizer

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STARTER FREE SOURDOUGH BREAD

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INGREDIENTS
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4½ cups flour (¼ cup more later)
18 grams (.63 ounce) instant sourdough* (yeast and sourdough culture)
2¼ teaspoons salt
1¾ cups warm water (100 to 105 degrees)
1½ tablespoons flour (1 more tablespoon later)
1 tablespoon rice flour or flour
1 t­ablespoon flour
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* = Instant sourdough can be found online. It skips the step of making active starter. It changes the taste somewhat but makes the whole process easier.
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SPECIAL UTENSILS
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electric beater
tea towel, flour sack, or dish towel
banneton or bread-proofing basket.
parchment paper sheet.
6-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven
bread lame or sharp knife
instant-read thermometer
sonic obliterator
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Makes 1 loaf. Takes 2 hours 20 minutes plus overnight plus 3 hours.
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PREPARATION
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Add 4½ cups flour, instant sourdough, salt, and warm water to large mixing bowl. Mix with beater set at low-medium until smooth-sticky dough ball forms. Shape with hands, if needed, Cover with tea towel. Let rise in warm (70-to-75 degrees) place for 2 hours. Then refrigerate loaf overnight. At any point, gently dent the loaf with your fingertip. If the dent springs back rapidly, more rising time is needed.
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Dust flat surface with 1½ tablespoons flour. Add dough to flat surface. Gently lift up the side of the dough closest to you, gently pulling it upward and stretch over the dough’s center. (Avoid tearing the dough.) Press down on this fold to seal and keep it into place. Rotate dough a quarter turn and lift, stretch, fold, and press again. Repeat quarter rotations and folding 2 more times.
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Dust cloth that comes with banneton with 1 tablespoon rice flour. (If you don’t have a banneton, put tea towel in mixing bowl and dust that.) Put dough in banneton. Cover with tea towel and let rise in a warm place (70-to-75 degrees) for 1 hour. Brush or scrape off excess flour.
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30 minutes before baking, place Dutch oven with lid in oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Dust parchment paper with 1 tablespoon flour. Place dough on parchment paper, seam side down. Score the bread ball when the oven temperature reaches 500 degrees. (Scoring is a way of making shallow cuts in the top of the dough just before baking. Scoring can be a simple pattern or as complicated as you’re to do. Scoring also prevents the gas that builds up during from causing uncontrolled ruptures on the loaf top.)
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Spray the dough’s top with water just before baking. (This keeps the surface flexible for longer and let the bread rise more.)
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Put on oven mitts. Hold 2 sides of parchment paper to lower dough into Dutch oven. Put lid on Dutch oven. Immediately reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 20 minutes or loaf turns a deep golden brown and becomes crispy. (Or when instant-read thermometer shows 205 degrees.) Place on wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.
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Feel free to use sonic obliterator on any guest who gives any guff at all about your sourdough bread. It’s okay to do so. See Levain v. Miche, 2007.
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TIDBITS
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1) Ancient Egypt got a big jump on civilization compared to its Mediterranean and Near Eastern neighbors. Why was Ancient Egypt so advanced? It was the first nation to bake sourdough bread. Sourdough bread originated in ancient Egypt around 1500 BC.
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2) Rome didn’t even get founded until 753 BC. It didn’t start conquering until about 250 BC.
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3) Rome’s empire did not derive from  vast amounts of sourdough bread. Oh sure it had some. (See Pistoria Uvam Massam Panis by Flavius the Younger.)
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4) Rather, Rome conquered the Mediterranean and parts of Europe with its vast, superbly trained army. So, global importance arises from sourdough bread and big armed forces.
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5) The Unites States operates a huge military. America also has lots and lots of sourdough bread, especially from San Francisco.
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6) China also possesses an immense military, but relatively few loaves of sourdough bread. China is also powerful, but not as much as America.
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7) Sourdough starters have been found in Egyptian tombs, indicating that the Egyptians baked sourdough bread. A hieroglyph in a Theban temple depicts Keith Richards baking sourdough bread for Pharaoh Amenhotep II.
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8) In 1620, Yeoman Keith Richards sailed on the Mayflower to Plymouth Rock. He ,brought sourdough starters with him. Soon sourdough baking spread all through the 13 colonies. Not so much, in the mother country, Great Britain. This is why is America is the more powerful nation.
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– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: cuisine, history | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Health Care Is Done In Shanghai

Oh my!

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: health | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What I Did Today

It hid under a floor mat

I got up, showered, and dressed.

My friend and  I went to a doctor. Then we went to an exercise class. Then we took lots of bags to what we thought to be a recycling building. It turned out to be a dumpster. The errand took such a long time. Let me tell you Google Maps(tm) is far from infallible.

As am I.

I got home and found out my cell phone was missing. I searched everywhere in my car. I called and called my phone. Nothing. I called my friend. She looked all over and called and called. Nothing. I tried tracking my phone via Google. Nothing. I tried tracking my phone an Apple app. It asked for my password. I didn’t know it as one of the younger natives only picked one to register my phone. The Apple app on my computer informed me that it would take days to get me a new password.

My friend then looked again.

She found it!

It was under one of the floor mats in her car. How was it possible for my phone to find its way there? The mind boggles.

Now I’m too tired and worn out to do anything. I had planned to scurry across the country causing mischief. Maybe tomorrow.

I hope you behaved yourself when I was looking for my phone.

 

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: what I did | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Serbian Pljeskavica

Serbian Entree
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SERBIAN PLJESKAVICA

(Ser­bian Burger)

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INGREDIENTS
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1 garlic clove
1 large onion (1 small one later)
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
¾ pound ground pork
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika or paprika
no-stick spray
8 pita loaves*
some kajmak** (optional)
some ajvar*** (optional)
1 green onion
1 small onion
your favorite condiments.****
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* = Lepinje buns are more authentic, but also very hard to find.
** = Can be found online. Substitutes are crème fraîche, crema Mexicana, sour cream, or clotted cream
*** = Can be found online. Substitutes are baba ganoush, chili oil, or relish made with bell peppers and eggplant
**** = Kajmak, ajvar, onion are the most authentic condiments for a Serbian. However, red onions, cabbage, pickles, cucumbers, and lettuce are used sometimes.
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Serves 4. Takes 1 hour 20 minutes.
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PREPARATION
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Mince garlic clove and 1 large onion. Add garlic, onion and olive oil to pan. Sauté at medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add minced garlic and onion, ground beef, ground pork, and Spanish paprika to mixing bowl. Mix with hands until well blended. Divide meat into 4 portions. Flatten meat portions until they are 6″ wide patties. Cover and let cool in refrigerator for 45 minutes.
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Spray pan with no-stick pray. Add patty to pan. Fry each patty at medium heat for 4 minutes. Flip patty and cook on low-medium for 4 minutes. Repeat for each patty . Put patty on pita loaf. Spread kajmak and ajvar as desired on patty. Thinly slice green onion and small onion. Place ¼ of the onion slices on kajmak and ajvar. Sprinkle with ¼ of the green onion. Top with 2nd pita loaf. Repeat 3 more times.
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TIDBITS
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1) Pljeskavica is pronounced just like it looks.
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2) Just like hot dog is pronounced, “hot dog.”
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3) Of course, pljeskavica is an anagram for “java pickles.”
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4) If you haven’t heard of java pickles, it’s because they’re not wildly popular.
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5) Or even popular at all.
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6) To make java pickles, add coffee grounds to the coffee filter.
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7) Then instead of water, pour pickle brine into the coffee maker’s reservoir.
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8) Turn on your coffee maker and wait.
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9) Take your java pickles to your next potluck.
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10) You won’t be asked to bring anything ever again.
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11) The moral of all this, is that there are some anagrams people aren’t meant to create.
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12) Better to search for lepinje buns. This quest would keep you off the streets where you’d only foment revolution.
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13) And why can’t we have lepinje delivered to our home?
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14) Of course, you could try the superbly efficient AmazonTM to send some to your home.
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15) What’s this? Amazon has no lepinje!
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16) Why can’t we have a lepinje truck cruising the neighborhood everyday? The truck would play pleasant Serbian folk tunes, so we’d know the lepinje man was on his way.
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17) And while we’re at it, why not have the truck carry bread, carry bread from all over the world?
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18) And herbs from all over the world? One herb can only be found in desolate areas of northwestern China and rarely at that. And let me tell you, the Chinese police and military frown on such unsupervised activities. “But Colonel, I was only looking for a rare herb,” you’d say. The official’s reply would surely be, “Like, I’ve never heard that one before.” And you’d go to a Chinese prison.
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19) Since incarceration is bad, we’ll have to hold out for a local bread and herb truck.
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20) And add spices and produce. I can’t tell you how many times I didn’t have the right bread, herb,  spice, or produce. “You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,” John Lennon. Let’s make that truck so. Let’s turn our street into a culinary garden of Eden.
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– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

 

Categories: cuisine, international, things that make me happy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yoga Instructor on Men’s Vanity

Yoga Instructor knows that super inflammatory comments about a man’s appearance is who’s hitting on you can escalate to a dangerous  situation. So instead of telling the relentless oaf, “Hell no, you look like cat ick,” be like Yoga Instructor and say,

Yoga Instructor #10

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: Uncategorized, yoga instructor | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Smoked Ham Rub

American Appetizer

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SMOKED HAM RUB

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INGREDIENTS­
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1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1½ tablespoons pepper
2 tablespoons salt
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Makes 1½ cups. Takes 10 minutes.
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PREPARATION
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Add all ingredients to mixing bowl. Mix with fork until well blended.
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TIDBITS
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1) Idle minds often come up with great ideas such as electronic banking, air travel, and tacos.
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2) Great artists take their inspirations from subjects as diverse as: portraits, urban landscapes, pastoral settings and bowls of fruit, particularly bowls of still-life bowls of fruit.
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3) So it’s quite common and only natural to think how the great artists would have painted our tasty culinary creations. I’ve been wondering the same thing lately. So many great painters to chose from.
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4) I channeled  Señora Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón to help me paint my Smoked Ham Rub. She was a great Mexican painter renowned for her many portraits, and works inspired by the nature of Mexico.
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5) Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (MCFKC) and I first tried using an Etch-A-Sketch(tm), but we couldn’t get the hang of that children’s toy.
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6) So, I let MCFKC’s thoughts guide my paint brush. Here’s what we came up. I hope you like it. Channeling spirits isn’t easy.
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– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: art, cuisine | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Hidden Timeline of Tom Jones’ “Delilah”

Delilah and Samson, the other man

Tom Jones was superb sing. His hit song, “Delilah,” tells how the protagonist sees Delilah with another man. Her dalliance enrages him to the point of murder. He knows the police will soon come for him, so he asks for forgiveness..

I feel that this tumultous relationship needs fleshing out. And in the vein of “why, why, why Delilah?” I offer the following timeline.

Sigh, sigh, sigh, Delilah (He sees Delilah and falls in love with her.)
Hi, hi, hi Delilah (He works up the courage to talk to her.)
Tie, Tie, tie Delilah (He takes her out to a fancy-dress restaurant.)
My, my, my Delilah (She falls in love with him and becomes his.)
Guy, guy, guy Delilah (The romance doesn’t last. He sees her with another man.)
Why, why, why Delilah? (He wants to know why.)
Fie, fie, fie Delilah (He’s getting upset with her.)
Lie, lie, lie Delilah (He doesn’t believe the man he saw with her is her cousin.)
Pie, pie, Delilah (He’s upset enough to throw a pie at her.)
Fly, fly, fly Delilah (He wants to kill her, but gives her chance to escape with her life.)
Die, die, die Delilah (She doesn’t flee. He yields to his rage and stabs her.)
Bye, bye, bye Delilah (He bids adieu to her inert body. She doesn’t respond.)
I’ll fry, fry, fry Delilah (He’s caught and convicted of murder. He gets the electric chair.)

Well, bummer.

 

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: love, murder | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vera the Virus Has a Headache

Poor Vera is not feeling well.

 

Vera the Virus #7, 4/11/2024

 

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: Vera the Virus | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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