A Day in the Life of President Bush (photos) 1.5.04

Yahoo, Reuters, AP | Jan. 5, 2004 | TruthNtegrity

[TruthNtegrity]

Pres. Bush traveled to St. Louis to promote his "No Child Left Behind" education law. Pres. Bush spoke at the Pierre Laclede Elementary School, which he said in his Saturday radio address had risen "to meet our new standards."

Pres. Bush also visited with about 50 fourth-graders. One asked Pres. Bush if he had wanted to be president when he was a child.

"No," Bush told the children, all nearly a decade shy of voting age. "It can be pretty hard." Still, he called his job "a very rewarding experience" and took credit for "a world that's more peaceful, (where) more kids are learning to read."

He also appeared at his first campaign fund-raiser of the year, adding to a record total of more than $110 million in contributions for a primary race in which he has no Republican opponent. Pres. Bush now has $120 Million in his campaign bank account.

On Thursday, the second anniversary of the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act, Pres. Bush will hold a similar event at West View Elementary School in Knoxville, Tenn. Both events are paired with re-election campaign fund-raisers.

[Pippin]

HMMM!

LOOOOOVE the subject matter! :O)

[GretchenEE]

My brain doesn't stretch far enough around the bend to encounter the reasoning behind anyone trying to compare, credibly, Hitler to Bush! I hit on these possibilities.

1. The writer doesn't understand the nature of Hitler.
2. The writer doesn't understand the nature of Bush.
3. The writer is a lunatic.
4. The writer is so desperate to see Bush fall from power that he resorts to expressing his lunacy.

I can think of no possible touchstone with reality in these attacks.

[GretchenEE]

Thanks for posting that great article @56.

[GretchenEE]

I love your story about Lucky the kitten. I had a somewhat similar experience with a Siamese kitten, about six weeks old, that my neighbor and I found crying in the tall grass across from our homes. I named her Fugi (pronounced FOO gee), short for Fugitive. Jean (neighbor) and I made a deal. I'd keep the kitten in my home, she'd take it to the vet, we'd split the vet bills, and she'd find it a permanent home. That poor little creature had a terrible, terrible intestinal infection, fleas and ear mites. She was also starving and would have had a terrible end. Jean found her a home, where the owners kept her indoors all the time. With the bad start this dear little thing had, I was very glad she'd be pampered. I got reports back till I moved away, about how happy Fugi and her people were. It was cool.

[GretchenEE]

Mike, you make way too much sense (post #163).

Excellent points and summary of the germane and substantive issues.

[GretchenEE]

You are fortunate your mom wrote down her recipes. Mine didn't, so when I come across a recipe that reminds me of one of hers, I try it. Here's a winter warmer that is reminiscent of her soup, but even better! The author (no longer with us) was a professional chef and all his recipes are, IMO, outstanding. I've never regretted making a single one of them.
I'm actually making this today.

SPLIT PEA SOUP ESPECIAL
Cooking Time: 3:15 Hours + time to heat water
YIELD: 2 quarts, 8 servings
From: Chet Beckwith, Modified by GretchenEE

A homey split pea soup made easier: the split peas don't have to be soaked overnight. This freezes exceptionally well; especially nice in individually-sized servings.

1 lb. Dried split green peas
1 Tasso or smoked ham bone (I use about 1-1/2 lbs.; can also just add precooked ham bits about 15 minutes before serving)
1/2 lb. bacon, crisp-fried and drained, cut into small pieces (optional)
8-10 C. water
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch diagonally
1 - 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 green onion tops and bottoms, thinly sliced
5 carrots, chopped into small pieces
Parsley to taste
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1. Rinse peas in cold water, drain, and put in 8-quart kettle with Tasso or ham bone and 8-10 C. water.
2. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.
3. Cover and cook 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. In medium skillet, over medium heat, sauté celery, onions and green onions until onions are limp, about 5 minutes; stir to prevent sticking and burning.
5. Fry and cut bacon, if using.
6. Add the following to peas and ham hock mixture: salt, rosemary, bay leaf, garlic, bacon.
7. Mix well and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer covered for 45 min.
8. Skim fat and add a little water if too thick.
9. Add carrots.
10. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook covered for additional 30 to 40 minutes, stir to prevent sticking. Remove Tasso or ham bone, slice meat from bone, and return.
11.Top with parsley and croutons; serve.

[homemom]

I think #4 hits it. "Evil" knows that Bush is a "good guy" and is desparate to get him out of power. Sad, kind of scary that they are that desparate.

[homemom]

I think you're definitely right with #4. There are very evil people who need him out of office so they can continue with their evilness.

[homemom]

Animals are just so special! (no, I'm not a Peta person and don't believe they're equal to humans!) Our puppies were a year old yesterday; they're labs, and we kept a black female and a chocolate male out of the litter. It's been a tough year for us both family wise and financially. So many times my husb. has come home upset, depressed, and cheered up when the puppies ran up to him and licked him, and then lay on the couch with him. That unconditional love . . . I'm glad your cat story turned out happy! Thanks for sharing it!

[homemom]

Yummy sounding recipe! I also add a diced sweet potato to my pea soup and lots of added vitamins. YUM!

Speaking of recipes, anyone have a good one for cabbage soup? Not the "diet" one--I found that recipe and sounds awfully boring. I do NOT like tomatoes in soup, and most of the other recipes I found had tomatoes in them. I do want a low-cal one, and hamburger in it is OK. Any suggestions?

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Yipeee!!!

No more PT!!!!!

No crutches!!

Just got home from there and grocery shopping, that cold artic blast is beginning to move in,,BRRRRR!!!

Gonna fire up the kitchen cookstove and set a pot of soup on it..

Yeah, it's a good life..living here in the country..

Ms.B

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Boy, that soup sounds goood!!
Thanks so much for sharing it with me..it beats the heck out of the one I usually make!

I have everything here but the ham bone, and I just got back from doing groceries...darn..Think I will make your soup on Saturday.

Gonna do up a batch of Potato-Leek soup for meself tonight, Mr.B is at a Pubbie fundraiser and dinner..
I didn't want to go this time, 'sides, it didn't coordinate with the PT appt...

Got a case of the sniffles, so the soup will be good!!I am glad my Mom wrote down all her recipes, she was really big on pastry and fancy desserts..but she had old recipes handed down from Canada, like Creton, Canadian Meat Pies, and so on..made me miss her all over again..

Ms.B

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Somewhere in this upside down house, I have an old cookbook from Warsaw...it has a recipe for Hungarian Cabbage Soup in it, I will see if I can find it for you.

I know that soup had ground beef in it, in the meantime, perhaps Lady Fawnn could help us?

Ms.B

[Fawnn]

The only cabbage soup I do is one with bacon, chicken broth, onion, potatoes, optional other veggies, and cabbage. (In fact, that sounds good. I may have to make a low carb version of it tonight without the potatoes!)

Can't help you with the Hungarian version, although I seem to recall saving a recipe for one at one point that calls for some vinegar at the end of the cooking time. (I'll try to remember to do a "find" later tonight. I'm crashing right now. Sorry.)

Here's the only Hungarian thing I could find during a quick look-see. I've never tried this one. (I'd NEVER use beef bouillon cubes! YUCK!!! Minor's Beef Base.)

Hungarian Goulash

Recipe courtesy Elizabeth Molnar

1 strip bacon
2 onions, medium dice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 garlic clove
Pinch caraway seeds
2 tablespoons good quality sweet paprika (see cook's note)
2 cups warm water
2 cubes beef bouillon
2 whole tomatoes, canned
1 green bell pepper
4 or 5 potatoes
2 tablespoons sour cream, plus more for plating
1 pound prepared spaetzle, as an accompaniment
Cucumber salad, as an accompaniment, recipe follows
Cook's Note: using good quality paprika is important. After about a year, paprika spice tends to lose its intensity. Use the best quality possible!

In a cold, heavy 6 to 8-quart stewing pot, fry bacon over low-medium heat until fat is rendered, and then discard bacon slice.

Saute onions in the bacon fat for a few minutes, do not allow the onions to brown. If bacon does not provide enough fat, add a little olive oil to prevent the onions from sticking. When onions become glossy, add the beef, sauteing with the onions for about 10 minutes, covered, until the meat is browned.

Meanwhile, chop and crush the garlic with the caraway seeds; add to meat and onions. Remove pot from heat. Stir in paprika rapidly with a wooden spoon. Immediately after paprika is absorbed, add the warm water. The water should just cover the meat, leaving room for potatoes.

Add beef bouillon cubes. Cover pot and cook over low heat for about 1 hour.

While stew is braising, prepare the tomatoes by cutting into 1-inch pieces. Core green peppers and cut into strips. After 1 hour of braising, add the tomatoes and green pepper. Add a little more water, if necessary and a little more salt if you need it. Simmer slowly for another 30 minutes.

Peel potatoes and cut into bite-sized cubes and set aside in a bowl of water. Add potatoes, and cook another 30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender and the goulash is done.

Once goulash is finished, dissolve sour cream and a little of the goulash sauce in a cup. Add to goulash, it should give a creamy consistency. Serve goulash with spaetzle on the side, adding an extra dollop of sour cream to each plate.

Cucumber Salad:
2 cucumbers
Seasoned salt
1/2 onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
Pinch dill, dried or fresh (optional)
Dollop sour cream (optional)

Peel and slice cucumbers very thinly. The side of a metal grater with the wide slots works best here, or you can use a mandoline. Place cucumbers in a flat dish and sprinkle throughout with salt, making sure that all the slices are salted. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. The salt will draw the moisture out of the cucumbers. Cut the onion into paper-thin slices and place in a container. Once the cucumbers have released water, use your hands to squeeze out the excess water and add to the onions. The cucumbers are supposed to be limp, but still crisp.

In a measuring cup mix vinegar, water, sugar and paprika to create a vinaigrette. Pour over the cucumbers and onions and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 1/2 hours.

Cook's secret: make the cucumbers before the goulash and it will be perfectly marinated by the time you are done making the stew!

Serve with a sprinkle of dill and a little dollop of sour cream if desired.

The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens. Therefore, the Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.


Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Medium

[Fawnn]

Blonde, fatigued moment. Pinging you to #214, too.

[homemom]

I'm so happy for you! Congratulations! I'm so glad you're healed!!!

The arctic blast has been here for several days. I'm getting tired of all the animals being in the house all day--well, Almost all day. I put them out every hour or so for a little bit. I've been getting lots of "inside" stuff done.

I'm wiht you on the soup--yesterday I made pea soup, and today tried hamburger/vegetable. Made up my own recipe and turned out pretty yummy. Even the kids like it! Hopefully mr. homemom will too.

Keep warm and enjoy that healed knee!

[homemom]

OOOHH--sounds yummy! THANKS! Excuse my ignorance, but what is spaetzle?

Thanks again--hope you're resting! Big day at work?

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Thanks!
I'm so glad that's over with!!

I haven't started my soup yet. been hanging around reading the newspaper, a couple of interesting jobs in there...

one is for a Surgical Assistant, the other is for a Ward Clerk, I love my current job, but it is not full time and doesn't pay enough...need to make a few changes this year...

Ms.B

[GretchenEE]

If you make the split pea soup, you won't need to add any oil to the frying pan to saute' the vegetables, as they will sweat enough to keep them from sticking if you stir them through their cooking time. I tie the hambone in cheesecloth.

The soup smells sooooo good while it's cooking ... I always get comments from my (apartment) neighbors.

Ms.Behavin, you can sit while you chop the vegetables, to save your knee. And the pot doesn't need much attention the first two hours while the peas and hambone cook.

For my taste, I use 9 C water; I don't like this too runny or too thick.

[homemom]

Yeah, we're in a major money crunch too. It's so hard to know which direction to go in. I've always been at home the majority of the time (working a little outside our home but mostly I got to choose my own hours) and I just don't want a full- or even part-time job outside our home. For one thing, I would NOT work at the hosp. or LTC in our town. And then to drive, face working every third weekend, etc. . . I'm blessed to have a husband who can earn enough that I can stay home, but having his own business puts a huge burden on me, too, with his LONG hours, no dependable babysitters, taking him lunches, putting up his workers occasionally, etc., etc., etc.

I have two home businesses and I'm going to work really hard at them to make them bring in some money. That way I can still be on my own schedule, which can also be a proboem--no set hours.

If I remember right you do have some medical training? So we are in a good field--lots out there. I have to admit I've been feeling the pull of working in a hospital again. I teach a Lamaze class tomorrow night and hopefully that will help.

WHEW! Bet you didn't expect all that . . . THANKS for listening!

Have you started your soup yet?