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Saviolo

Saviolo's Journal
Saviolo's Journal
October 19, 2017

Cold weather is coming, so time for cottage pie!

Our video this week is a little longer (only because there are more steps). Cold weather is coming quickly, so it's time to start looking at heartier and warmer dishes. Here we've got a recipe for cottage pie (or shepherd's pie if you use lamb instead of beef!). We made a couple of potentially controversial changes in this one, first by adding mushrooms, second by covering it in cheese, and third by not adding any kind of gravy. We don't use a super lean ground beef for this recipe, so it tends to hold together okay at the end. It's nice and moist without having to add a gravy, but of course you're welcome to wet your whistle however you like. You can add beer while the and vegetable mixture is cooking, or you can go whole hog and make a nice brown roux to mix with pan drippings and wine (or beer!!). Years ago, I worked as a short order cook in an Irish Pub, and we'd add Guinness to the shepherd's pie.

Anyway, lots of ways to customize. You can change the flavour profile significantly by changing the spice mix you use on the beef at the beginning when it hits the pan, but please do season your meat! If you don't season it when it hits the pan, you may find your final result a little lifeless.

October 18, 2017

What you need to know about Quebec's "religious neutrality" legislation

From the CBC: Full Article

A bill that requires people in Quebec who give or receive any public service to uncover their faces has been adopted into law.

The vote was passed Wednesday at the National Assembly in Quebec City.

Many important details still need to be crafted, and its implications may be decided by the courts.

It does not specifically mention the niqab or burka, two styles of traditional garments that cover the face, worn by some Muslim women.

Initially, the bill was only to apply to provincial public-sector services and provincially funded institutions, including universities and schools.

In August, Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée proposed amendments that make the legislation apply to municipalities, metropolitan communities and public transit organizations.

That means, according to the justice minister, anyone who rides a bus or the Metro must be unveiled.

On Monday, Vallée told CBC Montreal's Daybreak that a woman who normally wears a burka or niqab would have to show her face for the duration of her ride — "as long as the service is being rendered."

Under the rules for religious accommodation requests, a woman who wears a niqab or burka when receiving public services can apply for an exemption, leading many critics to question how far-reaching the ban will actually be.

"This is the whole problem with the law. No one knows how it will be applied," said the Parti Québécois's critic for issues related to secularism, Agnes Maltais.

Several legal observers said they expect people who cover their faces for religious reasons to mount a constitutional challenge of the legislation.


Of course there is a great deal of controversy about the bill itself. More from the CBC:
There's nothing neutral about Quebec's religious neutrality bill, Muslim advocate says
Jagmeet Singh hopeful Quebec's controversial Bill 62 will be overturned
Quebec's new religious neutrality law offers a special level of hypocrisy: Neil Macdonald

October 18, 2017

Tragically Hip's Gord Downie dead at 53

From the CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gord-downie-obit-1.4359906

And a statement from his family:
https://twitter.com/thehipdotcom/status/920628509369950208


The Tragically Hip has been closely tied with Canadian identity for years. Canadians mourned last year when his cancer diagnosis was revealed, and we'll mourn again now he's actually gone. I'm fairly shattered today.

G'night, Gord. Keep your stick on the ice, eh?

My favourite Hip song:

October 17, 2017

Urban wildlife encounter!

I live in Toronto, and there is lots of urban wildlife around here. Commonly seen are black and grey squirrels, many many extremely fat raccoons, more rarely we'll see possums, and then last night I ran into this fellow leaving my curling club!

https://twitter.com/daniel_hamel/status/920135776318513152


I was a little worried because it was lingering around the door to the club, and there were still people inside. I was worried that if someone came out and opened the door fast enough to startle the poor thing that someone would end up sprayed! Sadly, the club door was locked from the outside, so I was unable to warn anyone. Hopefully it wandered off and no one got sprayed!

October 12, 2017

Sources say California Senate leader to challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstein in Democratic primary

Source: CNN

De León has begun calling labor leaders and elected officials to inform them of his plans, the sources said, and is expected to soon announce his campaign against Feinstein, a giant of California Democratic politics who has held the office since 1992.

The 50-year-old de León, who represents Los Angeles and is seen as a leading Latino voice in Democratic politics, is likely to campaign aggressively against President Donald Trump. He began signaling he could oppose Feinstein in late August, after she said Trump could "be a good president" and that he "can learn and change." Feinstein later clarified that she is "under no illusion that it's likely to happen and will continue to oppose his policies."

He will enter the race after a state legislative session in which California lawmakers pushed legislation targeted at Trump -- making California a "sanctuary state," sought to force Trump to release his tax returns by making it a requirement to appear on the state's ballots as a presidential candidate, and passed a resolution urging Trump "to publicly apologize to all Americans for his racist and bigoted behavior."

He likely won't be the only Feinstein challenger. Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist and single largest Democratic donor, is "very much looking at the Senate race," a source close to him said. Steyer, who is in Washington this week, issued a letter Wednesday challenging Democratic candidates to call for Trump's impeachment.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/politics/kevin-de-leon-dianne-feinstein-tom-steyer-california-democratic-primary/index.html

October 12, 2017

Make your own creme fraiche!

So, this week's recipe is a quick DIY for making your own crème fraîche at home. We use it to replace sour cream or Mexican crema in a bunch of recipes. It's great on top of tacos or fajitas, or add a dollop into your borscht or similar hearty stew! It gives the lovely sour flavour with an additional little slightly cheesy flavour as well.

Now, we use organic (and umhomogenized) heavy cream in this recipe, but you can use regular grocery store heavy (whipping) cream as well. There will be a slight difference in the final product, but they'll both work just fine. We like the organic, because we get these lovely little lumps of heavy cream that rise to the top and give a bit of texture to the final. The other ingredients usually present in regular cream (they frequently add carageenan for texture) will make the final product a little thicker, potentially, and if it's homogenized it will come out smoother, of course.

October 11, 2017

Guys, Were Mad At Harvey WEINSTEIN, Not Harvey FIERSTEIN!

Full article from Forward here

And from Page Six here.

And from his Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/HarveyFierstein/status/916480450704625665

The whole Weinstein thing is gross and terrible, but here's a moment of levity from a real national treasure. And if you've never watched Torchsong Trilogy, I highly recommend it. Bring tissues.

October 7, 2017

Why We Constantly Avoid Talking About Gun Control - Some News

On of the best takeaway lines: "Historically, gun control has been enacted because of the marginalized and enforced against the marginalized."

October 6, 2017

In case you didn't think Dinesh D'Souza was a big enough twit, yet

He comes up with this turd:

https://twitter.com/DineshDSouza/status/916318446387978240

The responses on Twitter have been predictably blistering. So, y'know, there's that.


Also, a good thread debunking D'Souza here:
https://twitter.com/Stonekettle/status/916384581418446848

October 5, 2017

Beef Taco recipe

Feeling a little under the weather when I made this, so please forgive if the voice over isn't quite as upbeat as usual. Anyway, another super customizable recipe, this time we're making tacos with ground beef. Works very well to use a 80/20 lean for this. You do want some fat, because, as you'll see, it's what we use to fry the diced onion and poblano pepper. There are lots of different taco recipes, of course. Beef, chicken, pork, tinga, mole, chorizo, etc... this is just one possibility, and we'll be looking at some other ones in the future for sure.

Profile Information

Gender: Male
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Home country: Canada
Current location: Toronto, Ontario
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 04:34 PM
Number of posts: 3,283
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