By Steve Holland
SPRINGFIELD, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Friday he fears that al Qaeda or another extremist group might attempt spectacular attacks in Iraq to try to tilt the U.S. election against him.
McCain, at a town hall meeting in this Philadelphia suburb, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American militants in Iraq might ratchet up their activities in Iraq to try to increase casualties in September or October and tip the November election against him.
Ingredients
1 lemon [I used a lime]
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger [I basically doubled this, because Sean cut up a whole thing of ginger]
10 to 12 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1 3-to-4 pound whole chicken
Salt, preferably Hawaiian [seriously, enough with the salt snobbery]
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash lemon and ginger well, dry, and cut into slices.
Remove the giblet pack and neck from the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Flip the wings back and tuck under the body.
Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with the lemon, ginger, and garlic. Fold the skin over to close the opening, and then tie the legs together with a piece of kitchen twine. Put the chicken into a shallow baking dish. Coat the skin all over with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 375°F. Roast for an additional 60-65 minutes, until the juices run clear. Try not to open the oven door too much while the chicken is cooking, particularly during the first 15 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before you carve it. Strain the pan juices, remove the fat, and serve with the chicken.
Butternut Squash Soup with Sage:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled seeded butternut squash
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced
5 to 6 cups Chicken Stock or 5 to 6 cups purchased organic chicken broth
Breadcrumbs:
2 crustless slices fresh whole
grain wheat bread, torn
4 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
Preparation
For soup:
Melt butter with oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, parsley, and sage; sauté until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add squash and coarse salt; sauté until squash softens and onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add 5 cups stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash is very soft, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender, allowing some texture to remain. Return soup to pot. Thin with stock, if desired. Season with pepper and more salt, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.
For breadcrumbs:
Place bread in processor; blend until fine crumbs form but some slightly coarser crumbs remain. Cook butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Add breadcrumbs and sage. Cook until crumbs are crisp, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature.
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Lentils with Butternut Squash and Walnuts
1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1 large shallot
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup lentils
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro sprigs
fresh lime juice to taste (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Halve, peel, and seed squash and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Finely chop shallot and in a shallow baking pan toss with squash, oil, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste until combined well. Bake squash mixture in middle of oven until almost tender, about 15 minutes.
Chop walnuts and sprinkle over squash. Bake squash mixture 10 minutes more, or until walnuts are lightly toasted and squash is tender.
While squash is baking, in a saucepan of boiling water cook lentils until just tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils in a sieve and transfer to a bowl.
To lentils add squash mixture, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste and toss until combined well.
Just did the home visit. She was totally comfortable with everything but the basement stairs (no big woop, and probably better for her anyway!). We signed all the stuff and changed her name in the microchip registration to Kima. She comes home next Monday when I'm back from Geneva!
15/02/2008 08:33 - (SA)
Libreville - Gabon's President Omar Bongo Ondimba plans to build a huge Roman Catholic basilica worth at least 50 million euros ($73m) overlooking the capital, church and other sources said on Thursday.
"The project isn't completely definitive," Libreville Archbishop Basile Mve Engome said, but the aim was to construct the new church, capable of holding 4 500 people, on the site of the Democracy City complex made for a 1977 summit of the Organisation of African Unity.
Czech firm Helika had won a building tender with its plan for a basilica crowned by a dove of peace and hands joined in prayer that would be 70 metres high.
The project would be financed by the Gabonese state with the help of the Swiss Export Bank, which specialised in funding foreign enterprises, the sources said.
"This is the project that most seduced the president," Engome explained. Between 40 and 45% of the central African country's 1.3 million people were Catholics.
Bongo, who came to power in 1967 and was the continent's longest serving ruler, converted to Islam in 1973.
The Helika plan was in competition with one by architect Pierre Fakhoury, who designed the basilica Ivory Coast's founding president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, wanted in his home village, Yamoussoukro, today the west African country's capital.
That monument was consecrated by the late pope John Paul II.
1/30/08
Bike's dead. Bent too much to be worth trying to fix. Where do I find another PR-10 my size for 60 bucks?
