Nothing funny about feldspar

I made pumpkin rolls today, using the “dough” setting on the bread machine, but finishing them off by hand.

“These rolls aren’t as tough as they have been,” says Plagioclase, with his foot very close to his mouth.

“Tough,” Plagioclase’s mother agrees as she squeezes her roll.

Last night, she looked at the sauce for the chicken and remarked, “That looks like what my grandmother gave the dog. We always had to put them away.”

And you wonder why I just give them nuked frozen food?

As late as I was to appreciate blogging, I’m even later to liking mash-ups. However, I think this video of Star Trek clips to the Nine Inch Nails’ song Closer is just stunning.¹

Of course, all the cool kids have seen it already — I’m even late to this one…

1. Don’t watch if you’re offended by NIN, the original Star Trek series, or slash.↩

I hate it when I can’t find the exact quote that gets my mockery-meter running…

Listening to the news this morning, I heard some talk about the Michigan legislature’s opportunity to influence the state’s science curriculum. The quote that’s in the article:

“The bottom line is we want to make sure that the language is in there regarding critical thinking on all theories that are evident in science today, so that we are not blanking out any new theories that are coming along,” [Rep. Brian] Palmer said.

But what’s missing, and I can’t find it to be sure I’ve got the right words and the right person, is the statement made about the social studies curriculum (another topic the Legislature can weigh in on), which went something like “Social Studies will be easier because it’s based on fact, not like Science which is only theories.”

Argh! Where’s TiVo for my radio? Did somebody really say that?

It’s very cool here today, so I’m thinking Autumnal thoughts… Plagioclase mixed this up last night, and I’ve been eating it all day.

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
1/2 cup pecans (optional)

Mix the dry ingredients together; mix the wet ingredients together. Mix the mixtures (but don’t overwork). Bake in a loaf pan at 400°F for 20 minutes, then turn the oven to 350°F and bake for about another 15 minutes (clean toothpick check). Turn out onto the cooling rack.

Result: a dryish spicy pumpkin bread, great with coffee or tea. I like this precisely because it’s not moist — sometimes quick breads feel like they’re not cooked through because they’re so damp. You could make muffins out of this too, I haven’t so I don’t know what the time would be, but I’d start checking after the first 15 minutes or so.

(heavily adapted from a recipe I got from the Bisquick website)

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 quart milk
2 cups cornbread crumbs (stale is best; it’s a bit less than one box of prepared Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix — ours was baked in a cast-iron skillet and so had a sweet crispy crust)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Break up the chocolate, and put it into a pan with the milk. Heat milk until it scalds and the chocolate melts¹. Stir until smooth. Mix in the cornbread crumbs and set aside to cool to lukewarm. Add the rest of the ingredients — mix well and pour into the buttered dish. Bake for 50 minutes or so until it sets.

Serve warm.

Result: a not-too-sweet gritty chocolatety dessert: a little bit like damp cake, definitely different from the smooth puddings or custards you’d expect from the name. And none of those bread-cubes-with-raisins things, either.

(based on the one from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, but with more chocolate, different bread and added cinnamon…)

1. the original recipe calls for scalded milk, then you melt the choc. in it, but I’m usually in a hurry…↩