"Just Say Yes"

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What We're Watching: The International Male Story

We watched this last night while eating supper at the kitchen bar. I'm sure many of my truckbuddies will recall thumbing though those catalogs as M.P. and I did in the 70's.  It wasn't nearly as good as Playgirl, but sometimes it was all you had to dream on.

Bonus: In this a local news report on West Hollywood in 1980, you will get a glimpse of the International Male store there. I never knew they had an actual store building.

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Russ Cooks! Swiss Steak a la Johnny Mac

Last night for our Sunday dinner I made Swiss Steak, and M.P. loved it - gave me an A+!

Swiss steak with tomato gravy over white rice; fried Italian green beans; garlic Texas toast.  First course was that lusicous garlic soup (not shown) left over from last week.  Click to enlarge.

It was really a joint production, though - M.P. did all the prep work (mis en place), and had everything already chopped, measured, and laid out for me when I got to the kitchen.  This was a very tasty, very filling meal:  a real treat.  M.P. thanked me profusely, and I was proud to have cooked something to delight his tastebuds, instead of the other way around as is usual at our house.

I had seen this video by Johnny Mac, the Sauce and Gravy Guy, and it looked so good and so easy, I just wanted to try it myself.  I followed his directions, but at M.P.'s suggestion, added a couple of drops of Louisiana Hot Sauce™ and 2 teaspoons of sugar; also a quarter-cup of chopped bell pepper.  Cooked and baked it all in a cast iron deep skillet* for 2 full hours; the meat came out fork tender and scumptious, the tomato gravy full of luscious flavor.

If any of you fellas want a real man-pleasing meal, this is it!  We highly recommend Johnny Mac's simple recipe. Total prep time for me, first time out of the chute, was 45 minutes, not counting all the pre-prep work M.P. did.

* - I'm not affiliated with the Lodge company; I just think everyone who likes to cook ought to have one of these handy things.  It's a skillet and a dutch oven all in one; and the handle makes it super easy to use on top of the stove or in the oven for all kinds of roasts, stews, soups, and whatever.  It will last forever with proper care, which is very simple.

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Today's Sermon: Talarico Condemns Christian Nationalism

Texas state representative James Talarico, running now for a U. S. Senate seat, delivered a powerful and compelling sermon two years ago in his home church of St. Andrew's Presbyterian in Austin.  M.P. and I were most impressed. Talarico has a master's degree in education, as well as a Master of Divinty degree.

I didn't know they still made young men like this. We agree with all his main points - though there are some fine points of history and theology he skates over a bit too quickly, in my opinion. Still, his thesis that the Christofacism engulfing the country today is both un-Christian as well as un-American is indisputably true, and he makes the case splendidly.

We hope to vote for him in the general election. But there is one nagging question in the back of my mind - here is this clean-cut, well-educated, well-spoken young man . . . still single at 36? Why? A cursory online search turns up no mention of wife, girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, or any other relationship. If he were a Catholic priest, that would be understandable, but he's a Presbyterian. As much as I like what he says, there's something not quite right about this picture.

So what gives?  Perhaps some enterprising reporter will dig into this mystery. Meanwhile, he and Buttigieg are the two best hopes we see for the future of America at this point in time. God bless them.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Beefcake Sampler #2" by Clint Collide:

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The Pork Boys Do Mardi Gras, 2026

I'm afraid I don't have much to show from this year's feast; M.P. cooked all evening, so it was past midnight when we sat down to eat, and we were so hungry we couldn't take time to photograph the food.  So this is really just for our future reference - a couple of pics of the beautiful table setting M.P. spread out in purple, green, and gold with Mardi Gras beads and masks:

Click to enlarge.

Dinner was delicious:  We began with M.P.'s famous garlic soup - made from about 20 or 30 cloves of garlic, but it's not overpowering as you might think; very tasty and satisfying indeed, and a bit sweet.  The entree was boned Cornish game hens stuffed with minced chicken livers and fried a crispy golden brown; also golden gravy (regular gravy with a pinch of turmeric added for color); and browned rice.  

For dessert M.P, made a cinnamon King's Cake, very sweet and buttery, not dry and tasteless as most bakery cakes are nowadays.  This has become our yummy new tradition.

That's all, folks!  But I must make note of last night's whimsical "Dinner of the Spheres" that M.P. dreamed up - scrumptious Swedish meatballs in gravy, steamed Brussels sprouts with Thousand Island dressing on the side, and little round new potatoes sauteed in lemon-garlic butter.  A delightful meal.  While we ate it at the kitchen bar, we watched The Making of Fantasia, a fusion of art, music, and animation that somehow was a perfect accompaniment to our fanciful dinner.

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Like Ships in the Night: Two Christian Leaders

Two men of different races, generations, and backgrounds, one departing, one just arriving, whose faith has informed their politics - not the other way around.  Hope is still alive.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson, 1941-2026; may he rest in peace after his long, weary struggles for civil rights and justice for all:

Texas state representative James Talarico, born 1989, in a censored interview with Stephen Colber:

For 50 years, the religious right, a political movement - that's the perfect description for it - they convinced a lot of our fellow Christians that the most important issues were abortion and gay marriage:  two issues that aren't mentioned in the Bible, two issues that Jesus never talked about. Jesus in Matthew 25 tells us exactly how you and I and every one of our fellow believers, how we're going to be judged and how we're going to be saved:  by feeding the hungry, by healing the sick, by welcoming the stranger. Nothing about going to church, nothing about voting Republican. It is all about how you treat other people.

Don't tell me what you believe; show me how you treat other people, and I'll tell you what you believe.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Bonus:  Talarico speaks at a town hall in Laredo last week:

This man speaks my language.  He's young enough to be my grandson, but he talks with mature wisdom and confidence.  Wow.  

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Sunday Drive: My Funny Valentine

For M.P.

The Rodgers and Hart classic, as sung by Linda Ronstadt, an American treasure (official lyric video):

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Waitin' for the Weekend

A valentine dream for all my truckbuddies -- "The Handyman" by Nicholas Downs:

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Ian McKellan: "Your Mountainish Inhumanity"

On the Stephen Colbert show last week, Sir Ian McKellan delivered an impromptu monologue from the play Sir Thomas More, with some lines added, it is nowadays believed, by William Shakespeare himself.  What a powerful statement against the hate-fueled cruelty of unthinking mobs, then and now.

Shakespeare was not merely good with words: he saw through human nature and understood what makes people tick; and always upheld a kind-hearted, broad-minded Christian morality. This is the sort of thing one ought to gain from a study of good literature, properly taught.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Brothers from Other Mothers #1" by Clint Collide:

P. S., 4 p.m. -- Just for the record, the ice didn't completely melt away from the north-facing side porch and driveway until last Tuesday morning.  It's now a glorious 81 degrees here.  That's Texas weather for you.

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