What’s On Your Mind?

[lizkat]

Capers.

The noun, that is, and not the verb.

That is, the briny, salty, small green things, the immature, unripened green flower buds of the caper bush, not playful skipping, or, for that matter, an amusing activity or escapade of dubious legality.

@lizkat will enjoy this: I thought I had them (they play a starring and - unfortunately, key - role in the Sicilian dish known as caponata) , but, it transpires that I had cornichons (and also, for that matter, classic sweet gherkins). But, not capers.

So, capers shall be purchased tomorrow; everything else required for caponata has already been set out.

How exasperating... but then it will be the more delightful when all is secured for the dish as it should be made!

On my mind, Friday night's jazz on Saturday instead (JImmy Greene), Sunday morning's breakfast for supper tonight instead (fancy oatmeal with apples, raisins, peaches)... what can I say. It's the early sunset and late sunrise. Even the fun of an Advent calendar doesn't gloss over how ready I am for the solstice, the return of the light and so to the time of getting my darkness-addled brains out of hock again.

Anyway the power's still on here, temperatures due to drop like a stone in awhile when the wind shifts, but not so far. It's really windy and a few t'storms have grazed the area but it's almost still balmy out there at 51ºF. Hope everyone else experiencing weird weather in December lands safely in Sunday morning too!

 

[Huntn]

Capers.

The noun, that is, and not the verb.

That is, the briny, salty, small green things, the immature, unripened green flower buds of the caper bush, not playful skipping, or, for that matter, an amusing activity or escapade of dubious legality.

@lizkat will enjoy this: I thought I had them (they play a starring and - unfortunately, a key - role in the Sicilian dish known as caponata) , but, it transpires that I had cornichons (and also, for that matter, classic sweet gherkins). But, not capers.

So, capers shall be purchased tomorrow; everything else required for caponata has already been set out.

When I think of Capers I think of something olive like which I don’t care for. I’m picky about pickled vegetables. I do like pickles, and jalapeños. Are capers technically pickled?

 

[lizkat]

When I think of Capers I think of something olive like which I don’t care for. I’m picky about pickled vegetables. I do like pickles, and jalapeños. Are capers technically pickled?

Not just technically. Definitely.

They're great in sauces and appetizers like caponata, they help give depth to the flavors of vegetable-based dishes.

 

[Huntn]

Not just technically. Definitely.

They're great in sauces and appetizers like caponata, they help give depth to the flavors of vegetable-based dishes.

I’d have to try something with them.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Not just technically. Definitely.

They're great in sauces and appetizers like caponata, they help give depth to the flavors of vegetable-based dishes.

Exactly.

Definitely.

And olives, yum. I devour them like sweets (candies), or, rather, the way one assumes chidren devour candies (sweets) - which, for the record, are something I never really much cared for.

 

[DT]

Oh geez, Anne Rice died ...

Anne Rice, Who Spun Gothic Tales of Vampires, Dies at 80 (Published 2021)

She wrote more than 30 novels, including the best seller “Interview With the Vampire,” which became a hit movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Hrafn]

Oh geez, Anne Rice died ...

Anne Rice, Who Spun Gothic Tales of Vampires, Dies at 80 (Published 2021)

She wrote more than 30 novels, including the best seller “Interview With the Vampire,” which became a hit movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

www.nytimes.com

I saw that earlier. Loved the Vampire Chronicals. RIP

 

[lizkat]

I’d have to try something with them.

I even toss a couple of them into the mix for a tuna salad sandwich sometimes.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I even toss a couple of them into the mix for a tuna salad sandwich sometimes.

They go brilliantly well with fish, and are a key, core ingredient in the classic tartar sauce (sometimes written as "tartare" sauce) often served with fish.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My cousin, who died just under a fortnight ago.

 

[lizkat]

On my mind, how lazy I've gotten about making new playlists (even of music I've had a long time). I can't be all THAT busy any more but somehow I'm still reaching for a spare iPhone that has a Summer-2021 playlist on it when I'm in the mood for a familiar mix of rock / pop / whatever -- as if it were still August instead of December. It must have to do with the fact that the change of seasons is taking its sweet time to impress winter upon us this year.

 

[DT]

Went to a presentation/meet-and-greet last tonight for a special program for Daughter, she has invite into this program where she does 3 years high school, and then pivots to the last year at an actual college with actual college courses blended in through the 4 years. When she graduates HS, she would also graduate college with an AA, which transfers, to any school, so her first year at college for a BA/BS, she'd be a junior, and finish her undergrad work by 20.

 

[DT]

And FFS, we kept her home today, she finished all her midterms yesterday, and there's a crazy thing on Tik-Tok about "Bring a weapon to school" specifically today (Friday). We actually got a message from the superintendent, dozens of schools all over the US are actually closed today.

Do I think something would happen? Very unlikely, but all it takes is something to trigger a person who's borderline to put their Dad's unlocked firearm into their backpack and things to go very wrong.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My cousin, life, loves and family, and his funeral service, which I attended remotely earlier today.

 

[Apple fanboy]

And FFS, we kept her home today, she finished all her midterms yesterday, and there's a crazy thing on Tik-Tok about "Bring a weapon to school" specifically today (Friday). We actually got a message from the superintendent, dozens of schools all over the US are actually closed today.

Do I think something would happen? Very unlikely, but all it takes is something to trigger a person who's borderline to put their Dad's unlocked firearm into their backpack and things to go very wrong.

Sometimes you do wonder what would make someone post crap like that. I’d have done the same. Stupid people will no doubt do it.

 

[DT]

Sometimes you do wonder what would make someone post crap like that. I’d have done the same. Stupid people will no doubt do it.

I hope there's some real investigation and some serious penalties.

Here's some info:

Schools nationwide increase security in response to TikTok threats

Schools nationwide have increased security in response to shooting and bomb threats that have been made on TikTok.Schools in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania …

thehill.com

And I hate that the threat "isn't credible", yes, it's not a specific threat from a specific person, but it's a provocation, it's the same thing that made 100s of kids destroy school property (another Tik-Tok "challenge")

 

[Scepticalscribe]

And FFS, we kept her home today, she finished all her midterms yesterday, and there's a crazy thing on Tik-Tok about "Bring a weapon to school" specifically today (Friday). We actually got a message from the superintendent, dozens of schools all over the US are actually closed today.

Do I think something would happen? Very unlikely, but all it takes is something to trigger a person who's borderline to put their Dad's unlocked firearm into their backpack and things to go very wrong.

That is absolutely insane; you did the right thing.

Sometimes you do wonder what would make someone post crap like that. I’d have done the same. Stupid people will no doubt do it.

Completely agree.

 

[Renzatic]

And I hate that the threat "isn't credible", yes, it's not a specific threat from a specific person, but it's a provocation, it's the same thing that made 100s of kids destroy school property (another Tik-Tok "challenge")

Tik Tok will be the downfall of western civilization. We will have dared ourselves to our own deaths.

 

[Herdfan]

Went to a presentation/meet-and-greet last tonight for a special program for Daughter, she has invite into this program where she does 3 years high school, and then pivots to the last year at an actual college with actual college courses blended in through the 4 years. When she graduates HS, she would also graduate college with an AA, which transfers, to any school, so her first year at college for a BA/BS, she'd be a junior, and finish her undergrad work by 20.

That's awesome. My daughter took a few dual credit courses while in HS in partnership with a local university. And some AP courses as well. She ended up with 24 hours of college credit, which was nice. But that program sounds much better.

 

[DT]

That's awesome. My daughter took a few dual credit courses while in HS in partnership with a local university. And some AP courses as well. She ended up with 24 hours of college credit, which was nice. But that program sounds much better.

Yeah, it's a very managed dual enrollment. You could, possibly on your own, do dual enrollments through the 4 years of high school and have enough credits to equal an AA, this has a specific program that assures that happens, and then of course, has the nice extra perk of actually going to the college campus for senior year.

I hope she does it, she'd be in a cohort of 60 kids, so it would be a nice group to be part of, and the school (which we'd have to drive her to/from every day) is like a year old, really nice new facility.