Art Pottery, Politics and Food
Saturday, September 23, 2006
 
Ha Ha!
Clinton Slams FOX


Yesterday Chris Wallace of FOX News attempted to slime President Clinton with the false information presented in the Disney produced "Path to 911" that recently aired, with much controversy, on ABC.
The President took issue, in a transcript courtesy of Think Progress, with the FOX and RNC shill's interview style:

CLINTON: So you did FOX’s bidding on this show. You did you nice little conservative hit job on me...you came here under false pretenses...you falsely accuse me of giving aid and comfort to Bin Laden because of what happened in Somalia. No one knew al Qaeda existed then…And you’ve got that little smirk on your face. It looks like you’re so clever…

WALLACE: [Laughs]

The (unedited?) interview is scheduled to air tomorrow on FOX News Sunday.
Think Progress. org discovered this promotional item that certainly supports President Clinton's claim of Wallace's "false pretenses".

Modified Image: FOX
Thursday, September 21, 2006
 
The Speck In Christie's Eye


Click image for larger version

Sept. 18, 2001 Christie Whitman:
"I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington, D.C. that their air is safe to breath..."

Sept 18, 2006 New York Post:
Christie Todd Whitman, while head of the federal EPA, "conspired" [with the White House] to falsely reassure the public...

Katie Couric's excellent 60 Minutes report on one particular victim is streamed here.

NOTE:
Don't give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
--Matthew 7:3

Image: EPA, NBC, NewYorkPost, September11DigitalArchive
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
 

With apologies to the stone heads of Easter Island...

Modified Image: ForgeCreative.net, Reuters. com, Space.com
Monday, September 18, 2006
 
My Favorite “Comfort” Recipe


I have to confess, since I first combined these particular ingredients a month or two ago, I have made this dish repeatedly and we have polished it off in very short order.
I have to think it would make the main ingredient of an excellent cold sandwich but, as I said, the leftovers haven’t lingered long enough.
Vegeta is a wonderful Croatian vegetable seasoning that I discovered a few years ago in a marvelous local German butcher shop.
With experimentation, I’ve come to use it in a wide range of recipes for its enhancement of vegetable flavors and I would highly recommend it joining your seasoning arsenal.
Also, I’ve used organic vegetables, garlic and ketchup in my version along with grain fed local beef and pork.

Beef & Pork Meatloaf

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 lb. Pork Sausage, mild
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 Leek, cleaned, trimmed, chopped and finely minced
2 stalks Celery, cleaned, trimmed, chopped and finely minced
1 Egg, beaten
½ Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp Ketchup, plus a squirt or two for glazing
½ Tsp Vegeta Seasoning
½ Tsp Sea Salt
¼ Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Bread Crumbs, fine

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and have a bread loaf pan standing by for the assembled loaf.
Assemble all ingredients in a large bowl.
To combine the loaf mixture, first remove all jewelry and thoroughly scrub hands.
This is a hands-on process and not for the squeamish.
Using those clean hands, squish the ingredients together.
Lifting and turning the mass as you continue to manipulate the mixture, it will, while remaining slightly sticky, become less sticky and firmer to the touch.
When the mixture has been thoroughly combined carefully lift it up and mold it into a general loaf shape.
Place it in the unprepared loaf pan and press it down into place while smoothing the top.
Smear an even coat of ketchup, for glazing, across the top of the loaf and place it in the oven for around an hour of baking.
Juices should run clear from the finished loaf.
The loaf’s shrinkage during baking should accommodate the fat from the cooked meat without a pan overflow however I usually place the loaf pan on a baking sheet to be safe.
Allow the cooked loaf to sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Image: Enhanced image from Sean's Nokia cellphone camera
Sunday, September 17, 2006
 
Indiana Art Tiles

I must blame the vicissitudes of advancing years, involving members of my immediate family and even your humble blogger, for a hectic year that barely allowed the occasional political blog post much less anything connected to cooking or pottery.
This Sunday, for some unfathomable but soothing reason, I felt the urge to post exclusive web images of some fairly rare 19th century American Art Tiles.

This honey-glazed and dust-pressed relief tile set of cherubs or putti warming themselves at a campfire was sculpted by Ruth M. Winterbotham and manufactured by the United States Encaustic Tile Company in Indianapolis, Indiana between 1877 and 1886 and is a personal favorite.
While this particular 6” X 12” set appears very occasionally, it is documented in various tile reference books like Norman Karlson’s American Art Tile.
I am aware of a similar set that sold for around $400 in late 2001.

This interesting 6” square relief tile of a pioneer woman, also manufactured in the late 19th century by an Indiana tile company, the Columbia Encaustic Tile Company of Anderson, Indiana, is not only rare but is not pictured in any American Art Tile reference book with which I’m familiar.
I have to imagine this tile would currently sell for over $100.
I bought this tile around 8 or 9 years ago from an unsuspecting Ebay seller for almost $40.


This is an enhanced image of the 1877-1886 mark pressed into the obverse side of the "cherub" tiles shown at the top of this post.
The mark says, "United States Encaustic Tile Co. Indianapolis, Ind. High Art Majolica No."
In 1886, according to Karlson, the company failed and was reorganized as the United States Encaustic Tile Works.
Post 1886 tile marks from the reformed Indiana company would reflect this name change.

Photos: sean

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