A Real American Hero

So, some Hollywood idiots have decided to ruin another beloved treasure of my childhood. Some people will be tempted to see it, even though they know better. They have only my contempt.

But I expect better of you, my imaginary readers. You know where I stand on this contemptible betrayal of a cherished American icon, and I hope I can count on you to stand with me.

In the good news department, I am pleased to announce that IDW Publishing is re-releasing the classic G.I. Joe comic books from the 1980s as trade paperbacks. If you have a jones for G.I. Joe, I highly recommend these books. (Especially good is volume 3, which has issue 21, the acclaimed and groundbreaking "silent issue." It's the first appearance of Storm Shadow. So awesome...)

Yo Joe!

--MAJOR BLUDD

Indian summer

Tonight one of my roommates invited some of our friends over and cooked Indian food. Yum! Everything turned out really well, but I was especially proud of the mint chutney I made. So I thought I might share the recipe.

Basically, all you do is take a bunch of herbs and stuff and chop it up in the blender. Here are the ingredients I used:

half a bunch of fresh cilantro, minus stems
a 3 oz package of fresh mint (about half as much as the cilantro)
one smallish onion
one green pepper (or two jalapeno peppers) including seeds, etc.
four cloves of garlic
a teaspoon of sugar
salt to taste
several dashes of cumin
a little canola oil (like one or two tablespoons, probably)
maybe a cup of water

I just chopped all these things up and then put them in the blender until it was smooth. Delicious! I was very pleased with how it turned out. It was as good as any of the mint chutneys I've had at Indian or Afghan restaurants.

The only problem is that this makes a LOT of chutney. Like five cups. And it doesn't keep very long. So I'm going to have it on my corn flakes tomorrow.

Super yum!

--"SUNSHINE" DAVE RAHIMI

(PS - I wanted to try this with avocado. I think it might make an interesting dip. But that's for next time.)

[UPDATE 5/12 : Leftover mint chutney is great with pork chops and grilled chicken. Not bad with pasta.]

Look, Ma! No hands!

I don't know what that title means, but I have been asked to speak for ten minutes in church this Sunday. So, what would you, my imaginary readers, want to hear someone say on Mother's Day? (And what would you not want to hear?)

Let the comments flow like hot, hot tears.

--SAN GIOVANNI UMILIATO

(UPDATE: My congregation is composed of single people age 25-40. So there won't be many actual mothers in the audience.)