The Ramblings of Rev. Karl

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/05/iron-chefs-and-healthy-eating

This past Sunday, I gathered my family around me and together we watched the Food Network's "Iron Chef America." I never imagined myself in Kitchen Stadium and couldn't help but laugh as my daughter pointed me out on TV.

It was such an honor to participate in the "Iron Chef" competition. I had the privilege of working with great chefs to prepare healthy dishes using fantastic local, sustainable ingredients.  

But as impressed as I was with Kitchen Stadium, I don't know if it quite compares with the awe that Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali and even Alton Brown felt while visiting the White House, meeting the First Lady and working in the White House Kitchen Garden.

The chefs were all surprised when Mrs. Obama revealed that the "Secret Ingredient" was the White House Kitchen Garden and that our challenge was to create meals that were fresh, healthy and uniquely American – we knew we had our work cut out for us!

The White House Kitchen Garden is a perfect example of how easy it is to grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables. It costs less than $200 to plant the garden and in the past few months it has already yielded over 1,000 pounds of produce. We use this fresh produce in meals for the First Family, in dinners for foreign leaders and we donate a good portion of it to Miriam’s Kitchen, a nearby soup kitchen.  The garden is a constant reminder for me that fresh fruits and vegetables really do taste better!

For this competition, I had the good fortune of teaming up with Bobby Flay – who is a White House veteran. He joined our team here at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue last year for a Father’s Day event to help the President barbeque for a group of young men who had joined us from local schools to discuss the importance of being good fathers and good role models.

Because this competition was about fresh fruits and vegetables, but also about the American experience, Chef Flay and I decided to cook to our strengths and to our heritages. To highlight the diversity of culinary traditions and flavors that define our country, Chef Flay cooked with his southwestern flair, I brought in recipes from my native Philippines, and we blended it all with unique takes on classic American recipes.

The other team was made up of Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali. These formidable opponents cooked amazing dishes reflecting their own styles and backgrounds!

The competition was close, and each team created delicious meals in a short amount of time and I am thrilled that Chef Flay and I were chosen as the winners.

As great as the honor it was to compete in Kitchen Stadium with such creative and talented chefs, the greatest honor is still coming to work every day, walking through the White House gates and serving my country by serving the healthiest, freshest food we can provide for the First Family and their guests.

Mrs. Obama's challenge to use fresh fruits and vegetables in a healthy way wasn't just for "Iron Chef."  It's a challenge that we should all try to meet in our daily lives – whether it’s cooking for ourselves, our friends or our children. 

Here are a couple of recipes from the dishes that Bobby Flay and I used in our Iron Chef Battle...

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moar funny pictures

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Eeee! Suck it, AT&T.

noreply-nexus@google.com to me

http://wonkette.com/413051/third-indian-food-night-at-the-white-house-party-crasher-identified

http://wonkette.com/?p=413051

Remember the unnamed party crasher who imperiled the planet by breaching White House security and entering a state dinner while smuggling genitals in his underwear? He has a name! Carlos Allen publishes and owns Hush magazine, a publication we have never heard of, and he has been interrogated several times by the Secret Service in conjunction with his alleged attendance at the highly exclusive White House Indian Food Night. The only thing that could make this story more terrifying is if this dangerous individual had been carrying five jars of honey. [CNN]

http://wonkette.com/413050/413050

http://wonkette.com/?p=413050

THIS WEEK IN IMPORTANT BABY NEWS: Michelle Obama is an aunt. Her brother and his wife had a baby named Austin. YAY BABIES. [MSNBC]

especially for extricating coffee from my keyboard.


Inother news, a couple links I've been intending to post:
From acroyear70,How a group of Texas conservatives are rewriting textbooks [functionally] for the whole country Freaking scary. California's buying power usually tempers this, but they're buying no new books til 2014. And though I'd already been aware of the push against Evolution in the science books, I'd not been aware of the history pushes nor even the push against critical thinking in English teaching.

'Course I suppose that last bit should come as no surprise.

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From a couple different sources, Retraining the Adult Brain. I seem to have achieved my 40's brain at least a decade early. Go me? Definitely should keep thinking about going back to school.

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Steampunk Ball! January 23rd, up in Baltimore. See taknukesoul's journal for more details, and here's a flier.

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In still other news, some day I need to figure out when to sleep.

Web cams were invented by computer geeks so they could see if a coffee pot several floors away had coffee in it.

http://www.dorktower.com/2010/01/06/dork-tower-wednesday-january-6/

http://www.dorktower.com/?p=4269

DORK ADDENDA: Apologies for re-using the same drawing from Monday. A family emergency meant I had to fly to the East Coast suddenly, yesterday.

Since starting on thyroid supplemental therapy two months ago, I've lost roughly 15 pounds. I'd like to take this opportunity to look at doctors who spent four years telling me that despite being textbook symptomatic for hypothyroidism my thyroid was fine and say "I told you so. Nyah."

http://wonkette.com/413046/harold-ford-will-save-new-york-a-place-he-has-lived-for-three-3-years

http://wonkette.com/?p=413046

Ugh, Harold Ford Jr. Remember this guy? Lost his senate bid in Tennessee because of the terrible racist ad that suggested he spent all his free time cavorting nude with loose white women, and then became head of the DLC, at which point everybody realized it was maybe not so bad he had not become a senator? And now he just goes on the cable news sometimes and affably mumbles whatever crap is required to get to the next commercial break? He is thinking about running for the Senate again — this time from the state where all ambitious politicians move and run for senator!

Ford is considering a run in New York, against Kirsten Gillibrand, because why not. Gillibrand currently has the fundraising advantage, but Michael Bloomberg doesn’t like her and Ford has many wealthy friends. However on the minus side, Ford does not support gay marriage. This may put him at a disadvantage in New York City, which is 98% homosexual.

Harold Ford Jr. Weighs a Challenge to Gillibrand [New York Times]

http://wonkette.com/413045/just-like-honey

http://wonkette.com/?p=413045

• Chris Dodd, who was widely regarded as one of the most vulnerable Democrats facing re-election in 2010, has (probably) decided to retire instead. [MSNBC]


• This decision will free up the senator to leave Connecticut and move his entire family to Nevada, where he can pursue the comparatively noble profession of male prostitution. [Los Angeles Times]


• President Obama is very disappointed that the Underwear Bomber was even allowed to make his ultimately foiled attempt at bombing an airplane with his underwear. [Washington Post]


• Security screeners at the Bakersfield airport detected a nausea-inducing, “strong chemical odor” emanating from bottles of amber liquid that a man attempted to bring on a flight. The amber liquid was honey. [Reuters]


• Pantheism apologist James Cameron has a lot to answer for in his terrible new film, which is so terrible that even conservatives dislike it! [ABC News]


• Employers are still cutting jobs every month, but in December they announced the fewest planned layoffs since December 2007. Green shoots! (?) [Central Valley Business Times]

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Today in Survival History
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Alexandre Dumas père, author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, fought his first duel on this day in 1825. Dumas, who would later write of incredible battles and sword duels in his novels, escaped from the fight uninjured. Both of his most famous books have captivated audiences for generations and made their way onto film screens thanks to the action and daring displayed by Dumas' characters.

 
it's the 13th and Last Day of the 12 Days of FAILmas. i was going to make a post about some stuff about me and the future, but i'm tired. maybe i do that tomorrow. maybe not. i'm tired a lot.

the post will be flocked.

today is also an Anniversary, which is why it's the 13th Day of the 12 Days of FAILmas. Happy Anniversary.

tomorrow evening i'll also prolly also cut off some hanging chads from the R‽pocalypse. this year, i intend to avoid pain where i can. there's enough unavoidable. i don't need more.

I could probably only be superficial friends if we did not share musical tastes at least partially. Luckily, humanpacifier has a passion for much of the same kinds of music that I have a passion for so there are no problems there!

http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp01062010.shtml

!

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If there are any problems with the comic or website, or if you have any questions, comments, or complaints you would like to address directly to Randy, please email him at choochoobear@gmail.com.

I am delighted to have you in my life and I'm so happy you were born. Yay!

May this year be happy and healthy and full of good things for you.