Last week Huntsman called Romney "completely unelectable"

Huntsman is endorsing Romney tomorrow. Just one week after Huntsman called Romney "completely unelectable." Kind of makes you wonder if someone leaned on Huntsman, especially since Romney reportedly won't even be attending the endorsement tomorrow - clearly this isn't an amicable endorsement. Now who might Huntsman and Romney know in common who would have the means, the motive, and a clear track record of heavy-handedness in order to get their way? Read the rest of this post...

Jon Huntsman reportedly pulling out of GOP presidential race

And the sane one is gone. Reportedly Huntsman will endorse Romney tomorrow, and ABC's Michael Falcone just tweeted that Romney is reportedly not coming to the announcement. Ouch. Read the rest of this post...

Perry flip-flops on Marines peeing on dead Taliban

Perry is concerned, but not that concerned, and he wants the Marines punished, but not criminally.  So which one is it?  Are they "just kids," or do you want them punished?  Why would you punish "kids", if that's all this is?  John McCain, interestingly, thinks the Obama administration is handling the issue perfectly.

It is sad that Perry has to pander to the far right, yet again, in order to prove his macho manly bona fides.  I don't even think he believes what he's saying.  Can't a Republican candidate every just say what they actually think?  Considering who's in charge of the party now, the far right, probably not. Read the rest of this post...

My Swedish pancake recipe

And now a little diversion from politics.  This morning, as I often do on weekends, I made myself some Swedish Pancakes.  I've loved these things since my Aunt Rose (or Theia Rose, as we say in Greek) made them for me once during a sleepover when I was like 8.  My God are they good things.

If you've never had Swedish pancakes, it's a bit unfair to compare them to French crepes.  While the concept is similar, in terms of using a very wet batter, far more wet than pancake batter, the final Swedish pancake, while perhaps as thin as a crepe, is a much moister thing.  If you haven't tried them, do.  Only problem, they take a while to make - for me, for example, a single serving is perhaps six or seven pancakes (above left).  Here's a recipe I've tweaked from the Internet - the main recipe is for 2 or 3 people, the half (which I put in parenthesis) is for one hungry person.

John's Swedish pancake recipe (in parens, single person recipe)

2-3 large eggs (1 egg)
2 cups milk (1 c)
1 cup all-purpose flour (1/2 c) - to make them healthier you can use whole wheat flour if you can tolerate the flavor. I did make them with "white whole wheat flour" today, and they tasted almost exactly like "normal." Highly recommend. Just look for it at your grocery store, King Arthur is a good brand.
1 tablespoon sugar (1/2 T)
1 pinch salt (full pinch)
2 tablespoons melted butter (1 T)
1/2 t to 1 t vanilla (splash)

Use a pancake griddle or pan (or crepe pan, if you have one), put it on medium to medium-high heat and let it heat it a few minutes). Beat eggs, then add milk, then add flour and all the rest. Your batter will be very thin and watery, don't worry, don't add more flour, it's supposed to be super watery. Once well mixed, put some non-stick spray in your pan (optional) and pour in about 1/4c of the batter at most, maybe even less. Swirl the pan all directions to let gravity spread the batter to all sides of the pan, making a big circle.

Let it cook until the top is dry and when you peak underneath the pancake it's starting to brown nicely - depending how hot your pan is, this might only take 30 seconds, perhaps less (you might notice that when the pancake is cooked well it lifts and flips easily with a spatula, if it's undercooked it might be hard to lift up without ripping). Then flip the pancake and cook a little longer on the other side, again until it just starts to brown (I prefer to brown the first side decently, and the second side just a bit, to keep it moist). Then fold the pancake in half, then in half again so you end up with a triangle, move the triangle to your serving plate and cover it with another plate to keep warm.

Start again with more nonstick, if you want spray more nonstick spray (I find I use the nonstick spray every 3rd or 4th pancake), pour another 1/4 cup (or less) batter and do it all again. When you're all done, consider putting the serving plate with the pancakes in the microwave to reheat them a bit. Then serve them and eat them however you like to eat pancakes (I use butter and maple syrup, some people prefer jam or honey or powdered sugar, etc - I suppose you could even use Nutella).  Some people prefer to make little pancakes 3 to 4 inches diameter - I find it kind of inefficient, your call.

I just love these.  They're a bit of a pain to make for too many people, because they take time unless you have a large griddle or something similar. But if you like pancakes generally, these are to die for.  Enjoy.

PS You can certainly buy the Swedish pancake mix from the store, but for me one box contains perhaps 3 or 4 servings, that's it.  It's kind of a waste.  This recipe tastes just like the stuff in the ubiquitous brown box.  And it's just as easy, you will have the ingredients in your kitchen. Read the rest of this post...

White House wants SOPA changed

It's taken some time and pressure, but fortunately the White House is finally coming around to the problems of SOPA. The movie and music industry may donate a lot of cash to Obama, but there are many more voters out there who strongly dislike SOPA and PIPA.

White House officials raised concerns on Saturday about online piracy legislation pending in Congress that Google and Facebook have decried as heavy-handed and Hollywood studios and music labels say is needed to save U.S. jobs. In a blog posting, three advisers to President Barack Obama said they believed the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and other bills could make businesses on the Internet vulnerable to litigation and harm legal activity and free speech. "Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small," said the officials, including White House cyber-security czar Howard Schmidt.

Whether the White House holds firm on their objections is another issue. It's an election year, so either option is possible. Read the rest of this post...

Could Colbert actually win in South Carolina?

At least some establishment figures are worried that Colbert might cause an upset in the Romney coronation. CNN has a blistering anti-Colbert opinion piece pointing out that Colbert's platform is a travesty, calling for more unemployment, more wars, more inequality. In other words what George W. Bush wanted to do and did and what George W. Romney and George W. Santorum and George W. Gingrich want and plan to do.

Colbert knows what he is doing, South Carolina does not have same day registration but registered voters can vote in the primary of either party. Colbert has already racked up a 5% showing amongst Republicans. Nobody is polling Democrats of course but it is probably safe to assume that 90% of Democrats motivated enough to vote will go for Colbert. The unknown quantity is turnout.

If Colbert wins it will in effect be a win for 'none of the above'. Instead of leaving SC three for three, Romney will head into Super Tuesday having lost to a joke candidate. Not good for any candidate but a catastrophe for the 'inevitable' nominee. Read the rest of this post...

CSN&Y; - Cowgirl in the sun

It's a chilly (near freezing) but sunny morning. Friends from the Ardèche region of southern France and we're all heading to see the Cezanne exhibit at the Musée du Luxembourg. One of our friends is a retired art professor, so we're keen to hear what he has to say as we go along. Read the rest of this post...

Iran accuses US of involvement in murdered scientist

The charge is not a surprise, nor is the possibility of US involvement. Al Jazeera:

Iran says it has evidence the US was behind the killing of one of its nuclear scientists, according to Iranian state television. US officials last week denied any role in the killing of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, and condemned the bomb attack which claimed his life in Tehran on Wednesday. However, Iran's state TV reported that the Iranian foreign ministry had, in a letter handed to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, said : "We have reliable documents and evidence that this terrorist act was planned, guided and supported by the CIA."

Read the rest of this post...