Ghosts of a Cornish Pasty

Last night I finally realized a long-standing culinary wish and whipped up a batch of Cornish pasties.

What's a Cornish pasty, you ask? Well, if you're vegetarian, you probably won't like them, since beef is a crucial ingredient. They've been making these little "workman's lunches" for centuries in Wales; the real thing is basically a large pastry turnover filled with minced beef, potato, turnip and onion, seasoned with salt and pepper - like a smaller, pocket-sized variation on Canadian tourtiere (which I've made lots of times). I've been fascinated with them for years but I've never actually eaten one, just read about them in old cookbooks and more recently in Neil Gaiman's American Gods, where the hero Shadow enjoys a preternaturally good Cornish pasty at a Wisconsin diner.

So finally, I got the gumption to grate my turnips and potatoes, mince my onions and beef and prepare a batch of homemade pastry. I took some liberties with the seasoning, nothing too extreme, just a bit of Lawry's Seasoned Salt(TM) instead of plain, and a dash of Worcestershire. They're a fair bit of work to prepare, but the smell that comes from the oven is simply out of this world...magnifique! Or perhaps, "jolly good!" There's something about the flavor of a really classic, ancient recipe that stirs up ghosts of the past...I think cooking is one of the easiest ways to stir up authentic sensory experiences from the past!

Speaking of ghosts, we're planning on attending a play this weekend at the historical Woodstock Opera House in Woodstock, Illinois. When I Googled it to get directions, I discovered the venue is also famous for being home to a well-known ghost! According to legend, a young starlet trying out for a part was rejected for the role, and was so crushed she jumped to her death from the roof of the opera house. To this day, "Elvira"'s restless spirit allegedly moves seats and makes disparaging sounds during performances...she apparently has a favorite seat in the house - DD 113 in the balcony.

Reading that, I checked our tickets to see where we'd be sitting. Oh, boy...we're in CC 108 and 109. Four seats over and one row up from the ghost's favorite seat! For more on, check out Chicago-vicinity haunted places.

Photoshop Phun

Because you can't kill, rape and pillage without good strong bones, eh, droogs? Moloko is filled with calcium to strengthen those bony whites. I wouldn't be surprised if you could take a whack or ten from a baseball bat in yer rasoodoocks, chum!



For those boring weekends, wouldn't you love a project that's fun, easy, useful, and good for the environment? Why not build your own sawdust toilet for under $25! This one's from the Humanure Handbook, a handy guide for not letting waste go to waste. I had no idea that poo was so useful.

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