Random Thoughts on a Saturday

It's been a while since I blogged about anything in particular. Today will be no different as I blog at random for my two readers, elliot and capper.

The other day I decided to do something special for my lovely wife. I knew she likes Qdoba and Mexican food, so I began surfing the Internet for a tasty recipe. Anyway, I found this recipe for enchiladas, for which I have provided a link for those curious (there are other recipes).

I have made a couple small changes to the recipe. It is provided below along with commentary. It was fun to make and the taste elicited a smile from the wife, which was what the entire exercise was about. You will need:

20 Corn Tortillas (apparently they only come in packs of 20,000)
4 pound whole chicken (approximately)
Monterrey Jack cheese (shredded)
Sour cream
Buttermilk
Chicken broth (this will come from boiling the chicken)
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Cumin
Flour
Corn Oil
Jalapeño peppers (store bought in jar variety)
Green chiles (my add)
Onion

You will also need:

Slow cooker
Large skillet or frying pan
Sauce pan
Paper towels
Prongs
Measuring items

COOK AND SEASON THE CHICKEN
Place the unfortunate and unfrozen chicken in a slow cooker filled with water. Add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Cook the chicken on high for 4 hours, or until the meat falls off the bones.

Separate the meat from the bones and place it in a large bowl. Shred the meat and allow to cool. Retain the chicken broth.

Slice open 4 or 5 green chilis. Remove the seeds, rinse the chilis and then finely dice. After the meat has cooled somewhat, mix it with the following ingredients:

½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
green chilis

Cover the bowl with foil and place in the refrigerator.

FRY THE TORTILLAS
Into a large skillet or frying pan, pour about ¼ inch of corn oil and heat on medium high.

Using a prongs (yes, I feel the need to emphasize this) place a tortilla in the oil for 5 seconds. Remove the tortilla, turn it over, and place it in the oil for another 5 seconds.

Remove the tortilla and place it on a plate covered with a paper towel. Use another paper towel to blot the oil from the tortilla. Place the tortilla on another plate. Repeat the frying as many times as you wish. I would stop, eventually.

MAKE THE ENCHILADA SAUCE
Pour 4 tablespoons of corn oil into a sauce pan and turn the heat to medium low. After the oil has heated, gradually (and carefully) add the following ingredients:

5 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of chili powder.

Mix until thick, then slowly begin adding 3 cups of chicken broth (again carefully). Keep stirring!

After the chicken broth has been added, slowly add 1 cup of buttermilk. Raise the heat to medium and keep stirring until the sauce thickens, then set the heat on low.

PREPARE THE ENCHILADAS FOR CONSUMPTION (that means eat, for those commenters at the influential Badger Blogger)

Using a prongs, dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce. Place the tortilla on a plate and sprinkle shredded cheese, chicken, onion on top. Pour a little sauce on top and repeat the process a second time.

Place a third dipped tortilla on top of the stack. Add a dollop of sour cream and a couple jalapeño slices.

EAT AND ENJOY


Ned Yost and the Brewers
Just a couple of other things. Those calling for the head of Ned Yost are out of their minds. The team is a young one and prone to highs and lows. That this team continues to contend after the swoon they experienced in August is a testament to Yost's ability to manage this team. They continue to play hard and are proving to be remarkably resilient. I look for this team to be an exciting one for the next four to five years. If they fail to contend next year, then Yost's status should be revisited. But until then, Mr. And Mrs. Naysayer, relax. The team is doing just fine.

Most Influential
And lastly, this comment about the influential blog, Badger Blogger. Other than Patrick, the owner of the site, this fellow, whose moniker is mickey, comments there at a rate second to none. He is the only individual banned from Boots and Sabers (this takes a lot considering some of the commenting there). Mickey truly symbolizes the level of competency amongst the herd at Badger Blogger. Influential, indeed.

Anyway, this comment was an add-on to a post by Patrick about the hapless woman who thought it an artistic statement to walk into an airport with a fake bomb strapped to her chest. All right, I agree. She's missing a few marbles. But this comment is priceless.

ART!! I’m working on some ART, to wear at an Obama rally!!!My ART, will have
a BURQA!! Yes, and my ART will have OTHER “ARTISTIC” items of “clothing”. There
will be no problem, because I have RIGHTS!!! If someone questions my clothing,
I’ll proclaim my RIGHT to wear a Swastika, or a JEWISH TATTOO from the third
reich, or I’ll proclaim my RIGHT to “FREE SPEECH”, when I deny the holocaust.
Columbia University , will not silence me, because my words are part of the free
exercise of ideas!!!! My “idea’s” will be part of an open discourse!!Iran’s
Ahmedinijiad, will be given the same open forum that his country would
allow.Would David Duke be given the same forum??Does Columbia, have no sense of
right vs wrong and Ahmedinijiads position in history????Would Karl Rove be given
the same forum??If so. WHY?

Elitist?
I guess I'm elitist for commenting so about poor, misunderstod mickey and the Badger Blogger denizens in general. Curious, what does that make those who comment about us in such crude and barbaric ways?