Wednesday, December 16, 2009

From the Shelves of...Hey, what the...?!?

Sorry, folks, no book recommendation this week. I've been swamped at the office, mostly due to the absolutely useless special projects cooked up by our new Obamanoid management. And guess what? You can't polish a lab-quality hope 'n change turd any more than you can the standard garden variety. Trying to convince the main bozo - the head guy's "project coordinator" - that management's new "strategic plan" is - and I mean this in the kindliest possible way - perfectly idiotic is like talking to a dog. He looks at you and blinks and turns his head to one side - hell, I half expect him to break off in the middle of the conversation and cock a leg at my desk.

And on top of that, my poor bride is still confined to her wheel chair, so I have to spend a considerable amount of time doing chores, including dinner preparation (by the way, have any of you ever stuck a fork into a serving of mashed potatoes and had the whole thing lift off the plate? No? Then, I guess I'm doin' it wrong...)

Anyhow, I shall return with the book reviews next week, come hell or burnt biscuits. And that's a solid gold Paco Enterprises guarantee.

14 comments:

richard mcenroe said...

Paco old chum, as long as the potatoes don't crawl off the plate and etch 'NO KILL I' in the tabletop, there's still hope...

RebeccaH said...

Welcome to the world of the working wife, Paco.

JeffS said...

What? No TV dinners, fresh out of the microwave? Those have mashed taters!

richard mcenroe said...

In Paco's absence, a recommendation: Wellington: The Years of the Sword and The Years of the Pen, the two volume biography by Lady Longford. A fascinating look at a pivotal figure in European history and a remarkable insight into the cultures and its changes that shaped him even as he influenced them.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Obama is saving your job!

emerson

Anonymous said...

Burnt biscuits? How burnt? If the answer is "very" then all is still not lost. There are many uses for biscuits of that sort. Home defense is one. In this current climate when we're supposed to coddle the bad guys...er, those that went astray, biscuits are a great substitute for the more traditional cookies.

Your mashed potatoes are a different matter. It seems you used the Texas receipe for chili. Hope you got those off the dish, cuz once they setup, pardner,....

As for the Clueless Wonder, did you ever try a folded newspaper? A well placed biscuit might do the trick too.

I'm surprised you didn't recommend Thomas Sowell's new book. Didn't you get your advance copy?

Best Wishes to the misses for a speedy recovery! The local restaurants will miss your buisness.

Deborah Leigh

carpefraise said...

Paco-san, if you're a sometime cook, le'me tellya, your best-friend cooking method is STEAMING everything!!

A shallow layer of water, salt and pepper in a pot or a wok, fling in some lamb, chicken and/or peeled vegetables and after twenty minutes to a half-hour, it's cooked with a minimum of effort on your part apart from washing and cutting.

Hope Mrs P recovers soon so you two can go a-wandering in the moose-laden woods, snow gently falling, perhaps a slight drizzle of rain sending dancing twilight droplets of H2O on your respective noses...
Only beware one thing - such weather, being far and widely known as the Gore Effect, will probably hint at the grisly presence of the ClimateLiar himself!!

Mrs Paco may wish to pack an umbrella, you may wish to invoke every anti-evil spell you know.

Anyway, happy steaming! :)

Paco said...

Thank you all for these valuable cooking instructions!

mojo said...

"..how the hell do you screw up oatmeal? That's what's confusing me..."

richard mcenroe said...

Add Water THEN Heat. Tricky business.

Anonymous said...

Mojo, oatmeal (or anything for that matter) can get screwed up if there is a little distraction...if you know what I mean.

Paco, a crock pot is your friend. Carpefraise gave a good receipe. I'd substitute broth for water, and cut down on salt. Chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, or even moose will be perfect. Set that thing on low, go off to do whatever, then come back later, and voila, you have a nice meal.

Deborah Leigh

Paco said...

"Add Water THEN Heat."

Water? Oh.

Michael Lonie said...

"And that's a solid gold Paco Enterprises guarantee."

That's what you used to tell Karl all the time, too. Sheesh, try a new line whydontcher?

Stouffers entrees, some veggies, and a microwave; the busy man's haute cuisine.

Paco said...

Michael! Welcome, old top.

Heated up some Hormel meat loaf tonight (with tomato sauce). Excellent!