Author: David

Over-educated Curmudgeon, Bit-Bucket Tuner and Budding Brewmeister.
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Green Chicken Stew

I posted this a few years ago, but since it’s soup and stew weather, and since I just put a batch of this in the slow-cooker (well, actually in the Wolfgang Puck rice cooker, but that’s another story), I thought I’d repost it.

This is a really, really simple recipe with a Southwestern flair. Since it’s mostly just “open cans, dump” it’s also quite fast to assemble. The only “cooking” required is to pre-cook some chicken.

Cook–any old way that’s easy or comfy for you–a chicken, or just cook 5-6 chicken thighs. White meat’s not as juicy and tasty, so I major in dark meat for this, but you can pick and choose for your own taste. I generally skin the chicken before cooking, but whatever suits you. Cooking the day before and store the chicken in the fridge–or even a week and freeze–then cool and de-bone the chicken.

Just assemble the ingredients listed in any order you want in a slow cooker:

Chicken, as above
1-28oz (or two 15oz) can of green enchilada sauce
2-4oz cans chopped green chiles
2-15oz cans white hominey
1-15oz can of cannellini beans
1-4oz can chopped mushrooms
1-chopped onion, pre-“sautéed” (the quotation marks are cos I “sautée” onions for such as this by placing them in a microwave safe container with a lil olive oil and nuke ’em for a minute or so. YMMV. 2 mins at half power works best in my microwave.)
about 2C water

You can feel free to add some “sautéed” minced garlic–do the garlic with the onions so as not to overcook the garlic–some freshly ground black pepper and even some cumin to taste. I do. Heck, I’ve also been known to add some Rotel’s Diced Tomato & Green Chilies for a lil added taste touch. But not the tomato and habaneros Rotel also sells. (Too much heat for my Wonder Woman.)

rotel

Crock pot as normally. Eat with (white, if you have ’em) corn chips, corn bread, lightly toasted corn tortillas, or whatever suits your fancy.

A couple of small notes: while I do rinse the cannelini beans, I do not rinse the hominy. While most folks do rinse the hominy, I’ve not found it adds any benefit to do so. 😉

This is a chicken “white bread” version of a pork posole recipe. If you prefer, you can pre-cook some pork chops, pork shoulder or whatever, and substitute that for the chicken. It’s just as good but with a slightly different flavor. 😉

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Tuesday Passing Shot

The 0!’s entire administration to date has been a Kabuki theater production written by Jean-Paul Sartre on crack, produced by Karl Heinrich Marx and Friedrich Engels (without benefit of the opiate of the masses), and directed by Chairman Mao.

For the American Sheeple, attendance and applause is mandatory. For the rest of us, the response is more complex…

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Who Needs the “Right” Way?

Apparently I don’t. *heh* Sharing folders between my Linux Mint VM and the Windows 7 it was running on wasn’t really all that straightforward and I “needed” (OK, wanted) access to some files while in Mint–and to “drop some files off” in appropriate places from Mint to Win7. So, rather than sit down and just make file sharing between the physical computer and the virtual one work “right” I just used the Opera Unite feature I’d already enabled on the Opera 10.10 beta I was running on the Win 7 “side”.

Yeh, yeh, that meant I had to download and install the same Unite-enabled beta for Linux, too. Big deal. A few seconds’ download and install. Seriously. Mind you, this is really only so I can designate shared folders on the virtual machine as well.

And there I was: able to log onto folders I’d already shared using Opera Unite on the Windows 7 physical computer and drop in files I’d downloaded on the Linux “side” as well as access some media files and a pdf I wanted to read on the Linux side.

Nice. Now, if I just pack up the Opera Unite (XXXX computer, whatever :-)) url and password onto a flash drive, I can easily and securely access files on my physical machine (and even the VM, if I keep it “on”) when I’m out and away. Yes, I can do a similar thing using Logmein, but this is easier, more lightweight and just plain more elegant. Fun.

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Political Tips from THE Grandmaster of SciFi

Robert Heinlein, speaking in “Take Back Your Government”, a handbook for neophytes in politics:

Your object… is to win elections, not arguments. If you will always remember that, you can’t go far wrong.

The second thing to remember is that elections are won with votes; those votes are out in the precincts, not down in the politico-financial district, not in political clubs, not at political rallies.

The third thing to remember is that a vote for your side never becomes a reality unless you see to it that the holder thereof gets down to the polls and casts it. This should be printed in red ink and set off with flashing lights.

The fourth thing to remember is not to waste time arguing with a hard case. In the years I have spent in politics I cannot honestly say that I recall ever having persuaded anyone to change his mind about how he was going to vote on an issue or for a candidate if he had already made up his mind when I approached him. Yet I know that I have influenced and sometimes changed the outcome of elections through my own efforts.

Now, go tattoo those on your forehead between now and next November…

Dated though it is, after 63 years of political degeneration, this book by Heinlein detailing what he had learned in his own political experiences is proving to be a very valuable investment of a (very) little money and my time to read. Dated? Well, yes. Heinlein goes on at length about “honest politicians” being the norm in his experience, but his definition of “honest politicians” doesn’t seem to fit many nowadays. *sigh*

Thanks to Instapundit for the mention.

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What Ails US

“A nation of sheep will surely beget a government of wolves.” -Henry de Jouvenel

The ever increasingly lupine nature of our “feddle gummint” tells me that our political elite and “feddle gummint” bureaucraps definitely think we are a nation of sheep.

Is it so?

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OK, “Officially” Liking VirtualBox, Now

🙂

The last time I tried VirtualBox for Vm environments, it just didn’t ring my chimes. I have since (mostly) used VMWare’s (mostly) free software offerings to build virtual machines with some successes… and a very few failures.

The last few days attempting to build VMs for various ‘nix boxes inside a Win7 environment have proven to be mixed successes and frustrations with VMWare’s solutions. The big problem: input devices and other peripherals that I just have NOT been able to get working right. Oh, “working” (for low-expectancy values of “working” *heh*), but not working well–particularly mousing.

*Hair Pulling* And the VMWare Tools that usually fix these irksome little things have proven intractable. Install VMWare Tools? Always a snap in the past. Now? *Pulling Hair*

Sooo, VirtualBox got another look. It just works. Mousing and keyboard capture work better OOB. And installing “Guest Additions” (the VirtualBox answer to VMWare Tools)? Not only easy-peasy, but also slicker integration of peripherals and the guest OS. Very nice.

So far, just Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu 9.04) installed in a VirtualBox VM, but I’m liking it lots better than the same OS in VMWare’s VMPlayer. Lots.

Oh, and Linux Mint itself? A slicked up version of Ubuntu. Navigating around is much simplified, and it’d be an easier transition for most Windows users to transition to Linux using Mint than even a stable version of Ubuntu (like 9.04, and soon–I hope–9.10). Still as usable as regular-drip Ubuntu, just lots slicker.

Mini-example: getting to the “Control Center” is trivially simple, now, and it just looks cleaner and more easily navigable:

control-center

Oh, and Mint comes with a buncha stuff thrown in to make things “just work” OOB, like… flash player, whereas regular, unleaded Ubuntu can take some fiddling to get media things (particularly flash stuff) working right. Hmmm, even recognized my red eye dongle for my media center remote. Now, that’s an accomplishment I never achieved in regular, unleaded Ubuntu! Nice. Next? A 64-bit version of Mint, I think… Then a VM using regular, unleaded 64-bit Ubuntu (9.04, for now I think). Then, PCBSD and one or two more.

Oh, and I started this post on the Windows 7 side and finished it in the Mint VM. Easy-peasy. Now, to install and configure WINE…

Oh! That was trivially easy! I decided to try installing WINE as though I were a (slightly brighter than average *heh*) typical Windows user, so I poked around in the Menu of the taskbar until I found something called “Mint Install”. Clicked it, entered my password and “Wine” in the search field and… didn’t see Wine as a package available for installation but did see “Wine Doors”–an app to make installing Windows apps in Wine easy. “OK,” thought I, “let’s see what that does.”

It installed the latest Wine along with the Wine Doors Windows apps installer.

Could not be easier. Of course, for Windows apps not in the Wine Doors list of apps available for installation, I’ll need to use the typical Wine installation procedures, tricks and such, but I had immediate success installing Irfanview using the lil helper app for Wine, so I can see this sort of thing making a transition easier for Windows users that simply canNOT give up World of Warcraft (2,3 available for installation in WD), for example. *heh* Such as this is definitely going to make offering a Linux option to folks easier.

Micro-mini-update (11/16/09):

*sigh* Had some weird memory errors and a “freeze” in my Mint VM. Oh, well. Easy fix. I just specified more memory to be allocated to the VM and, presto! Memory errors went away. Hmmm, if I’m going to run very many more of these VMs simultaneously, I guess I need to look at increasing my system memory overall. Oh! My! What horrors! Buy more memory? Add it to this system (well, actually, replace the memory in the ststem in order to DOUBLE it)? That’s like when I just HAVE to buy more tools (Ooo-Ooo! *heh*). What a terrible burden… *VBG*

Unfortunately, memory for this system is almost twice as expensive today as this time last year… Oh, well.

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11/11/11

Once known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, we now call it Veteran’s Day. While I usually cite “In Flanders Field” on this day, today I’m eschewing that traditional notice to make note of the current scene and the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind “remembrance” of those who died recently at Ft. Hood as a contrast to the kinds of remembrances that have gone before. It seems none dare call it terrorism; none dare note the clear and unequivocal connection to clear and unequivocal teachings of Islam; and none dare call it treason.

In time of war, a man who redefined his identity (he called himself Palestinian, though he was born in Virginia), prayed with a jihadist cleric, complained and preached to acquaintances, and may have contacted terrorists, shoots several dozen people, most of them servicemen and -women, and our commentariat wonders what is going on.

No, the politically correct, multi-culti response from the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind is to call what happened a ‘tragedy” and to downplay or completely deny its connection to The Cult of Hate while fearing a (reasonable) backlash against Islam.

Once again:

Those who commit horrific acts of savagery and claim they do it to advance the cause of Christ are liars and not at all Christian, because their very acts contradict both the Nazarene’s life and His teachings.

OTOH, Those who commit horrific acts of savagery and claim they do it to advance the cause of Mohamed are clearly following the example and teachings of The Butcher of Medina, whose first “great victory” was won over the bodies of 900 men of the Ban Quraysa Jews of Yathrib (now known as Medina) who he gulled with a lying offer of truce into the massacre he had planned, followed by the pillage of the Ban Quraysa Jews’ goods and the rape and enslavement of their families.

Those who follow the example of this first “great victory” and all the other subsequent acts of savagery, betrayal, perversion and other evil committed by Mohamed (the Butcher of Medina), can lay claim to being genuine, true, honest and forthright moderate (mainstream) Muslims, just like Nidal Hasan, the Butcher of Ft Hood.

Federal law-enforcement sources have told the British press (which is where one has to go to get news about Islamist terrorism in America) that Hasan came to the FBI’s attention early this year when a blogger identifying himself as “Nidal Hasan” — a name bearing a striking resemblance to “Nidal Hasan” — posted odes to suicide bombers on the Internet.

But our “commentariat”–the Mass Media Podpeople Hivemind–would have us not notice these simple things, and so they spit upon those killed at Ft Hood.

Great way to observe Veterans Day, eh?

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Trying Another Apple Cider Recipe

Update: 21:22 hrs. Both brews are bubblin’ away nicely, although the cider looks like it’s a fully carbonated, shook up pop, it’s fizzing so much. Ya think too much sugar? I actually used half as much as the new recipe I found called for, but it’s looking like something else… Oh, well. 🙂

It’s that time of year. Unfortunately, since I just started the cider today, it won’t likely be ready for Thanksgiving, but it’ll most certainly be ready for Xmas.

This is a really simple, easy-peasy cider recipe. Uses all stuff you can get off the shelf in most grocery stores, except for the wine yeast, which may not be available in your local store.

  • 2.5 gallons of apple juice
  • 1 quart “hyper-concentrated” apple juice (from frozen concentrate, made with 1/3 the water called for on the cans)
  • 4C sugar
  • 1 package Red Star Premier Couvée wine yeast

Heated the juice in a stock pot to 100-105 degrees Fahrenheit (about 40 degrees Celsius). Simmered slowly at about that temp.

Took about 1C of the sugared juice in a clean crockery bowl and added the yeast. Covered and let sit for about 15 minutes.

Checked the apple juice. Turned off heat and let cool a bit.

When the juice had reached a clear 100 degrees F, added it a bit at a time to my primary fermenter. When I had about a gallon in the fermenter, added the proofed yeast (it was really bubbling away!) and sirred with a clean stainless steel spoon. Added the rest of the juice pretty quickly after that, then added the airlock and placed the fermenter in a warm place, covered from light.

I’ll check back in a day to see how it’s cooking. In about a week, it could be ready to rack. I may just skip secondary fermenting, save for some bottle fermenting, of this first batch. We’ll see.

Next up? Some “Nut Brown Ale”. That’s cooking away in the stock pot now, with yeast proofing on the side. In 30 minutes or so, it’ll be time to start cooling the wort down… which I’ll do “impatient man’s style” by adding a gallon or so of cooler water. I’ve found by experience that that works as well for me as just letting it sit–at least with these “kit beers” like this “Nut Brown Ale” is.

When Thanksgiving weekend comes around, I want to cook up some beer that’s more from scratch, but getting back into the swing of another season of beer brewing, this is an easy way to get some better than average brew going.

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Pray for Obama

Seriously.

prayer-for-obama

To place that in context, let’s see what Psalm 109:6-15 has to say

6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Amen.

Get your bumper sticker here, but be forewarned: illiterate boobs who dislike The 0! and think this bumper sticker is supportive of The 0! might respond rudely. Illiterate boobs who are supportive of The 0! might give you a “thumbs up”… until someone who’s not a libtard checks a Bible and clues them in. *heh*

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Ubuntu 9.10: Oh. Well.

*sigh*

It looks like I may semi-retire the Ubuntu “side” of this dual boot config in favor of a Linux Mint or PC BSD dual boot config with Windows 7. I’ve really liked most of the things about Ubuntu, but the consistently poor upgrade experience ever since 8.04 is beginning to wear me down a bit. Heck, I dunno. I do like some things about Ubuntu a lot. For one thing, I can run old Windows programs in WINE in Ubuntu much more smoothely than in Windows 7, even with “compatibility mode” selected for the specific Windows version. And there are three old Windows programs I really, really do not want to simply ditch.

But. I’ve fallen into the trap (well, I laid it myself) of having this particular computer act as the print and media server using Win7’s “Homegroup” facility, and there are other users on our lil home network who have come to rely on the ease of use that offers.

Sooo…. yep. Resurrect another old computer for use as an Ubuntu (or PC BSD or Linux Mint) standalone for use with those old Windows programs running under WINE. It’ll mean getting a really good KVM switch that’ll handle the digital line from my vidcard to my 23″ Acer monitor, since I’d likely need to have both computers running at once here at my desk, for ease of access to the old windows programs, and I’m really out of desktop space on this 3’X6′ desktop. (23″ monitor, one computer, 2 printers, “cash drawer”–serving as printer supplies storage–phone, speakers, 3 external hard drives and various detritus of daily use. No more room for another monitor, and I’ve done the multiple keyboard/mouse thing in the past–not again, thatnks. :-))

Oh, what may be the last straw for Ubuntu on my main machine? Got around to installing the “gold” upgrade to 9.10. Nuh-uh. Python broken, tracker broken, other dependencies for multiple apps broken. *sigh* Not good.

Maybe things’ll work better with a fresh install on another machine. Probably will, but if I do that, the computer I’m thinking of will be an old single core machine that’ll use the 32-bit Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu but slicker) pretty nicely, I think. Or the latest PCBSD, which is always a nice OS.

Just have to see.

Well, micro-mini update. Installed Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu 9.04) and Ubuntu 9.10 in VMWare-based VMs. Kinda quirky mousing in the Mint VM, have to see what that’s all about, but otherwise, it’s really nice. Ubuntu 9.10 installed fine as a clean install in VM. Should be workable. Next? NimbleX Linux, based on Slackware. It should be pretty cool, as the folks at NimbleX allowed me (as they would you) to specify what additional components I did/did not want and “built” an iso to my specs. There isn’t a world of choices, but I managed to have nearly everything I need for a basic Linux desktop included, including the latest build of WINE. Nice.