The Guild 11-26-2002 Turkey trouble this year?

[mountaineer]

Columnist Liz Smith, although a Democrat, wants to contribute something to the recipe thread:

WE HAVE the usual annual requests for what The Pink Teacup restaurant down in Greenwich Village thinks is the world-beater recipe for sweet potato pie. The Teacup insists this is a fabulous substitute for pumpkin pie, so, here's what you need:

2 pounds yams; 1/2 cup butter; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ginger; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 2 tablespoons white sugar; 1 cup brown sugar; 3 large eggs, separated; 1/2 cup orange juice; 1 tablespoon grated orange rind; 1/2 cup evaporated milk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and boil yams until mashable.

Add butter, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg and sugar to hot mashed yams.

Beat until light and smooth.

Beat egg yolks until light; add to mixture.

Stir in orange juice, rind and milk.

Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold in.

Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake 35 minutes or until pie puffs up and is firm in the middle.

Cool on rack.

Add whipped cream.

[mountaineer]

Please make it go away (hurling great chunks alert):

Hollywood still belongs to Bill Clinton. Billy Crystal recalls how, when he and Robert De Niro were shooting their mob comedy "Analyze That" in Harlem earlier this year, the former President stopped by the set and offered to help Crystal rehearse his lines.

"He was terrific," says Crystal, who recalls Clinton volunteering to stand in for hefty Joe Viterelli, who plays De Niro's driver. Clinton's only caveat: "I won't say the f-word." [Unpleasant reminder of his wife?]

"He stayed for about an hour," said Crystal. "Then he left with two female production assistants. So it was business as usual."

That last part was a joke. [Yeah, right] But WJC still has a special rapport with show business. Thursday in L.A., he rolled into Ago with Kevin Spacey, Tommy Lee and Lee's fiancée Mayte Garcia. "Bill table-hopped and made sure to speak to every pretty girl," a spy tells us. Before he left, diners, who included Demi Moore, Claire Forlani and Bianca Jagger, gave him an ovation. NY Daily News

[mountaineer]

Clinton legacy alert, part 1,583:

[excerpt] .... Sex in marriage is becoming less important as fewer people get married and, of those that do, fewer couples wait until marriage before having sex. More than ever, sex is about recreation rather than procreation.

Sexual repertoires are broadening. Oral and anal sex are more widely practised than in the past, especially among those under 30. In the US, studies have found that oral sex is widely practised among young teenagers.

"In some ways this is a strategy to reduce risks of STIs and to reduce risk of pregnancy," said Professor Pitts, who said she believed the sexual activities of former US president Bill Clinton were highly influential. "We have to bear in mind that oral sex was relatively unspoken about until Bill Clinton."

The implications for STIs are evident. In Australia, chlamydia transmission rates are on the rise. ... full story

[mountaineer]

Mean-spirited Gore lackey alert (speaking in the context of poor sales of the Gores' stupid book about families):

Former Gore campaign press secretary Chris Lehane e-mailed: "As long as Justice Scalia -- Judge Grinch -- does not have the Supreme Court rule that the Gores' book cannot be a stocking stuffer for the holidays, I am sure it will do well. Also, Bush should like the Gore picture book -- with all the photos, it is right up his alley, while the Woodward book seems to be a little long and dense for his type of a read." Gore's current spokesman, Jano Cabrera, declined to try topping Lehane: "Why put my foot through a Picasso?" WashPost

[lodwick]

...the legacy lives and grows - just like any good virus.

Thanks for the news - isn't it time for chelz or the PIAPS or someone else to get the spotlight?

[Timeout]

Here's the Martha Stewart Goose:

ROAST GOOSE

Serves 6

1 twelve-pound fresh or frozen goose, giblets reserved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut in half
3 stalks celery, cut in half
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
1 bunch fresh sage
1 medium onion, cut in half
8 sprigs flat-leaf fresh parsley
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon black whole peppercorns
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. If goose is frozen, place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Remove goose from the refrigerator, and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 400° Rinse goose inside and out with cold running water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Trim as much of the excess fat as possible from the opening of the cavity. Remove the first and second joints of the wings, and set them aside for use in making the stock.
2. With the point of a sharp knife, prick the entire surface of the goose skin, being careful not to cut into the flesh. Fold the neck flap under the body of the goose, and pin the flap down with a wooden toothpick. Generously sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper, and insert 2 carrot halves, 2 celery-stalk halves, garlic, thyme, and sage. Using a piece of kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Generously sprinkle the outside of the goose with salt and pepper, and place it, breast-side up on a wire rack set in a large roasting pan.
3. Roast goose in the oven until it turns a golden brown, about 1 hour. With a baster, remove as much fat as possible from the roasting pan every 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°, and roast until the goose is very well browned all over and an instant-read thermometer inserted into a breast, not touching a bone, registers 180°, about 1 hour after reducing the temperature.
4. Meanwhile, prepare goose stock, which will be used when making the gravy and the dressing. Trim and discard any excess fat from the wing tips, neck, and giblets, and place them in a small stockpot. Add 4 carrot halves, 4 celery-stalk halves, both onion halves, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, and enough water to cover the bones and vegetables by 1 inch (about 2 1/2 quarts water). Place the stockpot over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer stock, skimming the scum as it forms, for 2 hours. Strain stock through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Remove and discard the fat floating on the surface of the stock, and set the stockpot aside.
5. Remove goose from the oven, and transfer it to a cutting board that has a well. Let the goose stand 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Pour off all the fat from the roasting pan, and place the pan over high heat. Pour in wine, and cook, stirring up any brown bits with a wooden spoon until the cooking liquid is reduced by three-quarters. Add 2 cups goose stock, and cook, stirring until the liquid is again reduced by three-quarters. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in butter, and cook until slightly thickened. Pass the gravy through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a gravy boat, and serve with the goose.

(Serve Brussels Sprouts with Vinegar Glazed Onions with this holiday bird. link)

[Timeout]

NY Times has a new poll today which isn't good news for the Gores. This poll was AFTER that media blitz last week.

Just 19 percent said they held a favorable view of the former vice president, compared with 43 percent who had an unfavorable view. The unfavorable rating is among his worst since The New York Times/CBS News Poll began asking the question about him in 1987. Men are more likely than woman to dislike Mr. Gore.

The unfavorable perception of Mr. Gore crossed party lines: about one-third of Democrats viewed him favorably, compared with about one-fifth who viewed him unfavorably. Of potentially more concern to Mr. Gore, just 17 percent of independent voters said they had a favorable opinion of him, compared with 36 percent who described their view as unfavorable.

"I know that Gore is going around now in all these public places and trying to establish an agenda, but I don't believe he can," said Phyllis Snyder, 68, a Democrat from Summit, Ark. "I just don't believe he can win. I think people are tired of Al Gore. I don't they want Al Gore. "

In another follow-up interview, Wayne Denson, 75, a Democrat and retired optician from Kansas City, Mo., said: "I voted for him to start with but now that Bush got elected, I'd rather vote for Bush than Gore. Bush has got more intelligence."

AWWWWWWWWWW!
Hey! I like all those W's!

[2Jedismom]

Mmmm! That looks delicious!

[lodwick]

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

As I recall, it was Chris Lahane who was involved in leaking the George W 1976 DUI arrest.

[BigWaveBetty]

today started at 2:30 - not so good.

That's about the time I finally got to sleep. Ugh. Have you seen Hannibal? If not, don't! I made the mistake of watching it last night before bed and it grossed me out and scared me so badly I couldn't sleep. That's the first time a movie has scared/grossed me (out) like that in a long time.

I feel a nap coming on.

[BigWaveBetty]

I have a new diet idea. A book of bill clinton antidotes.
Posts 20,22, and 23 have effectively done in my appetite for the day.

Was it just me or did it take y'all a minute to figure this one?

"She [bleeped] it all."

I'm thinking curse word... then the light went on. groan.

Before he left, diners, who included Demi Moore, Claire Forlani and Bianca Jagger, gave him an ovation.

Wondering if Bruce can cut out any or all alimony after that display.

"We have to bear in mind that oral sex was relatively unspoken about until Bill Clinton."

Because WHY WE WOULD WE have the need to discuss such a subject in public?!

I'm dizzy.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Which is worse, Hannibal or Gore's teeth?

[BigWaveBetty]

How much do I loathe Chris Lahane? This article sums it up nicely.

Lame, Lame Chris Lehane Rides Again

By Nathan Porter
BSNN.net

Webster's defines weasel as any of a worldwide group of agile, flesh-eating mammals with short legs and a bushy tail, the base of the word being weis, which in reference to the rank odor emitted by an animal means to flow out. They could save some ink by defining weasel as Chris Lehane, press secretary to Al Gore during the 2000 election.

Lehane crawled out of his timeshare beneath Maine Avenue this week to reveal that, in his opinion, the sneak attack disclosure that George W. Bush had been arrested for DUI gave the popular vote to Gore in the 2000 presidential election. "Obviously, I think it did have an impact on the election," Lehane told WABC Radio's John Batchelor and Paul Alexander.

As Newsmax reported this week, “the Bush DWI story undoubtedly caused Bush's slim nationwide lead to evaporate overnight and precipitated the 37-day Florida recount fiasco that still has Democrats grousing Gore was robbed.”

"There is something of a mystery that has unfolded since we broke the story," Fox News Channel's Carl Cameron reported days before the election. "And that is that part of the arrest record and the state of Maine's documentation of George Bush's driving record and arrest record in Maine was faxed to news agencies all over the country after we were on the air with it at 6 o'clock Eastern time."

Said Senator Alan Simpson at the time, "If anybody doesn't believe that this came right out of Gore headquarters, you ought to sprinkle some Peter Pan twinkle dust on them." [don't you just love those Simpson quips?]

And I have no doubt who in Gore headquarters worked the story, pushed the story, and finally convinced a desperate Al Gore to release the story—Chris Lehane. It all makes sense. Performing this type of dirty trick is the only reason Chris Lehane was born. Lehane is from Maine, where the DUI took place, and he has all the connections necessary to manufacture the unusual release of documents. And the fact the revelation comes from him is even more proof that he was the operative behind the “leak.” He kept it a secret as long as he could, but like a teenage yuppie who beats the object of his desire to death with a golf club, Lehane just couldn’t keep it a secret forever. It was too good to keep all to himself. What’s the good of doing something sinister if you can’t take the credit? So Lehane squealed…on himself (something tells me it’s not the only time he’s squealed…all over himself…maybe even in a tree).

The sad thing is that if George Bush wanted to ensure a popular vote victory in 2000 he would’ve taken my advice at the time and made Lehane the big election issue. In every presidential election, America not only chooses a president but also a presidential press secretary. A Gore presidency would likely have meant that America would’ve been forced to endure as presidential press secretary the ugly, smug, flesh-eating mammal that is Chris Lehane. A chilling thought for anyone who follows current events on a daily basis.

To win the popular vote outright Bush simply could've asked, "Do you want to see more or less of Chris Lehane?" Now there’s a campaign issue every pro-abortion soccer mom in America would understand. "Hell no!" would’ve been the resounding response heard nationwide.

One can tell a lot about a president or a candidate by his choice for press secretary, and to this day a snotty-nosed, pompous prick like Chris Lehane says a lot about Al Gore and his pathetic campaign for the presidency. I thank God that I do not have to suffer through day after day of Chris Lehane’s unprofessional, press-secretarial McCarthyism.

So why did Lehane decide that now is the time to reveal this juicy tidbit from election 2000? My guess is he’s setting himself up for a job in the next election, perhaps for a candidate other than Gore. He’s been a loser all his life so one can hardly blame Lehane for not wanting to be involved in another Gore campaign. But any candidate considering hiring Chris Lehane should beware. As annoying as he appears on television, it is no surprise that Lehane annoys most people he works with as well.

In an article for The New Republic, Dana Milbank looked at Lehane's addiction to playing jokes on fellow Gore staff members. Jokes that amuse Chris Lehane often do not amuse his co-workers, and he does not restrict his tomfoolery to co-workers. One of Lehane's favorite pastimes is littering his official statements with ridiculous words, hoping to get them in print. As Milbank tells it, Lehane's fondest wish is to be quoted in print using the word rimbamboo. Lehane defines it as a fool, but I can imagine another equally fitting definition of the term when applied to Lehane.

It's an interesting game for a 10-year-old child or a thirty-something rimbamboo. So when Lehane takes credit for costing Bush the popular vote and causing the Florida fiasco, don't be angry, don't get sick. It's just a big game for Chris Lehane. A game he is not very good at and a game he is destined to lose. Because this prissy rimbamboo sucks. I know it, you know it, and considering the look on his face whenever I see him, he knows it, too. Link

[BigWaveBetty]

Which is worse, Hannibal or Gore's teeth?

It's a tie.

Would someone please clue in this gas bag that there are now available clear orthodonture appliances that snap in and out? He could have a nice straight set of teeth in a year.

[mountaineer]

I'd wager that Lehane is one of those idiots at DemsUnderground who keeps referring to GWB as "chimp" and the "selected, not elected" president. Grow up, already.

[BigWaveBetty]

Roll your eyes alert:

ANIMAL rights activist Paul McCartney demands some peculiar perks backstage for his 2002 world tour. Court TV's thesmokinggun.com reports that McCartney won't sit on furniture that even looks like an animal print ("Solid colors without any prints are preferred"), refuses limos with leather seats, and bans "meat or meat by-products" from the backstage area. But McCartney thinks animals are good for something: "To minimize any disruption caused by the receipt of real or hoax phone calls, and/or the discovery of suspicious packages, a properly trained canine search team will be required to conduct a sweep" of stage and backstage at 5 p.m., his contract rider states. Link

NATASHA Richardson had to wear steak-lined panties to motivate her canine co-star in "Maid in Manhattan." The movie's producer, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, cast her own dog Rufus in the scene where a louche pooch lunges at Richardson's crotch. At first, however, Rufus refused to take direction. "We rubbed Natasha's underwear with liver," a spy on the set told us, "but Rufus wasn't into it." So Goldsmith-Thomas, embarrassed that her dog wasn't performing well, got a brilliant idea: "She sewed chunks of filet into Natasha's underwear. Natasha was completely game." The trick worked like a charm and the scene went off without a hitch. But when Rufus and Richardson encountered one another at a junket for the Jennifer Lopez-Ralph Fiennes flick this past weekend, the mutt was still in character. He made a beeline for Richardson's nether regions, embarrassing the star in front of her peers and the press. She may think twice about acting alongside animals again. Link

Hope Paul doesn't find out about this.

[mountaineer]

She sewed chunks of filet into Natasha's underwear. Natasha was completely game

'Round here, we call it "gamey."

[BigWaveBetty]

Click on pic for larger image at your own risk.

ONE of her biggest hits is If I Could Turn Back Time — but judging from this picture, Cher’s failing badly.
One onlooker who saw the 56-year-old enjoying a night out in Los Angeles said: “She had crow’s feet and a wrinkled double chin.”
The vain pop diva and actress — famed for spending a fortune on plastic surgery — had caked her face in glittery make-up.
Perhaps she took a tip from the title of one of her most famous movies — Mask. The Sun

[lodwick]

Jesus ladies.

I need a nap. ;-)