Isadore? Heck no, it ain't no door, it's a dadgummed FLOOD!

Golly, that sure is a lot of water. This morning was spend trying to tame three girlheads kinked up from the humidity--it was like trying to groom an SOS pad. Then there is getting to work in this mess. Driving is an adventure in Birmingham anyway (the land where turn signals are used only during the safety check at Express Oil Change), but then when you add in liquid fun it just goes to hell.

The afternoons are worse than the mornings--anyone out in the wee hours is doing his'r'her best to get to work, but the afternoons are full of everyone trying to get home, plus every else blundering through on the way somewhere else or making a run to the grocery store. But no matter how bad the local drivers are, there are always the insaniacs from metro Atlanta. For some reason, they all seem to tailgate, and they burn their foglights all the time. Yesterday I was at the tail of a slow moving clot of sheep and a Fulton Countian (I think) comes flying up on my bumper and has the nerve to flash her lights. Let's see, I'm basically parked, there's a mile of traffic in front of me, and there's a semi full of chickens beside me--yeah, I really need to get outta YOUR way! I guess the Olympics must have convinced them that they are skilled, European drivers. HEY! Back off and douse those flamethrowers! Amazing what a little tap on the brakes can accomplish. She finally found a way to get a couple of cars ahead and the entire rest of the way into town it was like watching Christmas lights twinkle as she tailgated THAT car and stepped on the brake pedal every fifty feet. Moron.

Anyway, I promised you something yesterday, and never let it be said that I don't follow through. First, our gastronomic journey began with jellied eel, and now we go on to the wonders of souse meat! (Courtesy of the good folks at All Recipes). Here's just a sample of the recipe:

1. Place tongues, pig's ears, pig's feet, and onions in a large stock pot; add water to cover. Season with salt, pepper, whole peppercorns, sage, cloves, bay leaves, pickling spice, garlic powder and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and cook until meat is cooked, about 2 1/2 hours.

2. Remove meat; set aside to cool. Strain broth, and measure 8 cups into another pot. Return broth to stove, and let simmer.

3. Peel skin from ears, leaving the ear as intact as possible. Place the ears aside. Remove gristle and fat from pig's feet, and combine with ear trimmings. Cut off large portion of tongue and set aside. Trim loose meat from remainder of tongue, and combine with other trimmings. Put trimmings through a coarse meat grinder, then stir into broth; continue to simmer.

Now, I'm not gonna give EVERYTHING away! For the crucial Steps 4,5,and 6, you simply MUST click on the link! Mmmm-MM! Nothing like souse meat, except maybe for...

Whatever it is that resides in the cranium of Tom Daschle. The old saw about not watching laws or souse meat being made certainly has some truth to it, eh? His "impassioned" codswollop had that certain "doth protest too much" ring to it which tells me that Tom is all out of sorts--mad that Dub has been more successful at playing politics than he, and doggone it that's just not right! If anyone's gonna pander and play politics, it danged well better be the Democrats a'doing it! (I will say that the vocal intonation of Burgess Meredith as Mickey Goldwill in Rocky was very touching and had me singing Eye of the Tiger. Beautiful performance, very lifelike.)

You know, there was another Democratic Senator who once said something about getting out of the kitchen if it gets too hot, Tom, and there's the other old bromide about what goes around, comes around, so before you start pumping out big, hot, moist tears of pity and anguish about playing politics (in WASHINGTON of all places, for pity's sake) remember it was you and your buds who were so adamant that you not be cut out of the souse-making process. SO, please don't slobber all over the mike when someone insults you because you haven't started skinning the ears and cleaning the gristle off the pig's feet. Get to work and do something. Or get out of the way.
posted by Terry at 9:02:00 AM