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February 2015

Enough is Enough…Muslims need their own designated place to live…and not with Western Society 270 187 Mari Bickmore

Enough is Enough…Muslims need their own designated place to live…and not with Western Society

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MODERATE ISLAMpeaceful religion

Hey, I usually never, ever post a politically-centric only article.  I am happy traveling and eating well, and will post something lovely to eat tomorrow, but for today I can’t help myself.  These Muslims are a plague and a pestilence wherever they become more than 5% (well any percent, but that tips their scales).  Every single day, somewhere in the world, an atrocity is committed in the name of Islam or by countries or people practicing Sharia.  Every. Single. Day.  Stoning, honor killings, chopping off hands, horrid treatment of women, rapes, pillages, forced conversions, beheadings, jizya…The list goes on and on.  You want to tell me that that is a small percentage of Muslims, 10-15%.  What percentage of Germans caused the Holocaust?  The activists?  10-15%.  With any historical war or evil movement, what percentage were the activists?  10-15%.  The biggest issue is the one that most people don’t want to see.  All Muslims believe that they are superior and that they should rule over everyone else.  That every person should have to live under Sharia.  All of them.  They are not the bomb-strapping, beheading, in-your-face killers.  They are just waiting for the others to do the wet work.  Part of those, however, are the complainers.  The ones who are offended.  They ones who are trying to change our laws, our cultures, the very fabric of our society, slowly, like a cancer.  Our governments, our liberals, our media are letting it happen.

say no to islam

Look at Sweden.  About 40 years ago their government voted to change their homogenous society to a multiculture society.  Once Sweden had almost no crime, and now they are number TWO in the world in rapes.

http://www.d-intl.com/2013/10/15/sweden-a-new-hell-for-women/?lang=en

Who do you suppose is committing the majority of those rapes?  But their news agencies and reporting bureaus are not allowed to report those numbers.  I suppose we should let that go and apologize because the women of Sweden aren’t covered head to toe in a black tent, otherwise the Muslim men can’t control themselves any better than animals.  (apologies go out to the animals).  Why are people not rising up in all our Western countries to protest?  Because we are lazy for one, but we are PC’ed to death or afraid we’ll be prosecuted for some “hate” crime.  I maintain that the term “Islamaphobe” is stupid.  A phobia is an irrational or unfounded fear of something.  There is nothing irrational or unfounded about it.  I read a new word lately that I like:  Islamapologist = our news and government would fall under that.

Over the weekend there were two shootings in Copenhagen committed by a Muslim, targeting an artist and at a Jewish synagogue.   Luckily, he was shot by police, after injuring three of them.  We must not let ourselves lose our freedom of speech and expression due to fear of harm or fear of “offending” them.   What is more offensive, a cartoon or a beheading (or any of the atrocities listed above?).  Jews are leaving France in record numbers (over 6000 in 2014 alone) due to fear from harm by Muslims.  They are being spit on, ridiculed and attacked by Muslims. http://www.newsweek.com/2014/08/08/exodus-why-europes-jews-are-fleeing-once-again-261854.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/jewish-graves-france-desecrated-nazi-slogans-swastikas-n306931

jewish gravesNBC reports that male teenagers were arrested for this, one having confessed, but did not report the names, thereby not reporting that it was Muslms.

“300 tombs were desecrated in the Jewish cemetery in the eastern town of Sarre-Union on Sunday. President Francois Hollande labelled the incident “odious and barbaric,” and Prime Minister Manuel Valls said via his Twitter feed that the “vile, anti-Semitic act” was “an insult to memory.”

CNN:  CNN states here that there is a growing anti-Semitism in Europe.  They are sooo PC that they cannot even say where is is coming from….THE MUSLIMS!  They won’t even utter that when they WONDER who did this to the graves.  Isn’t it more than obvious to everyone who can reason?  But, then again, CNN doesn’t reason very well.  CNN is non-news, in my opinion, so I even surprised that they reported this at all.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/02/16/newday-bittermann-jewish-graves-desecrated-france.cnn

Eating my Way Through Vegas 318 159 Mari Bickmore

Eating my Way Through Vegas

“I stay out too late…got nothing in my brain. That’s what people say.” I can’t get that song out of my brain…it’s like I got this music in my mind saying “it’s gonna be alright.” Silly, right? Kind of perfect for Vegas though. Five days and four nights in Sin City! vegas pictureI am pretty sure you can cover the seven deadly sins in Vegas: Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride. Think about it. Sad. But all that does make for some great people watching, if you are into that sort of thing. Just being away from winter weather and waking up every morning and thinking how glorious the perfect blue skies, sun and 75-degree weather must be some kind of sin.

I am definitely a high roller. I set aside $20 for gambling. Since $20 wouldn’t get me far at the Blackjack table with a $10 minimum, I was relegated to the one-armed bandits. I was up at $27 and cashed at at $24.75. I am thinking that gambling is not in my blood. HOWEVER, there is sooo much more in Vegas. The shopping is phenomenal. I have to think that just about any brand you need, crave or want is there. The Forum Shops, the Grand Canal Shoppes, Fashion Show Mall, Town Square, Shoppes at the Palazzo, Miracle Mile, Crystals at City Center, Doges Palace, Desert Passage, and others, not to mention the Premium Outlets. The premium outlets here have a good selection and some high end stores too. The only better one I’ve been to is Camarillo in California. Make sure you bring your walking shoes. If I’m going to “lose” any money in Vegas, it is going to be at one of these shrines to excess (or possibly to a shrine of gluttony). I’m pretty sure my daughter and I walked four or five miles a day in this quest.

Back to the gluttony notation: Vegas has to be one of the best places to eat ever. Many great chefs have restaurants here. There are just a very long list of fabulous places to eat and, admittedly, they are very pricey. You get what you pay for. Four nights in a row I overate, and not in a small way. Yet, I didn’t even think about not doing it. I mean, I knew it would be over quickly. Wagyu beef that you could practically cut with a fork, foie gras, lobster in mashed potatoes, lobster pie, bone marrow (my new favorite appetizer), beef wellington a la Gordon Ramsay, black truffled everything and desserts to die for. We ate at Mastro’s Ocean Club, Sage, Gordon Ramsay’s and Michael Mina. All of them are excellent. The Warm Butter Cake from Mastro’s was hands down my favorite dessert. Someone told me the Havana Dream Pie at Joe’s Stone Crab would make me spit out the butter cake, so I tried it for lunch and they were dead wrong. The dream pie was a tres leches cake, albeit a fantastic tres leches, it was no where near Mastro’s butter cake. Mastro’s bone marrow was the best, but their main course presentation left something to be desired.

bone marrow mastros
butter cake mastros2

Sage was overall a more than very nice dining experience, but nothing sticks out as the best of anything, although the ambience and food presentation was sensual.  Gordon Ramsay’s Wagyu American Filet was absolutely the best steak we had, although their sides were not. Someone told us to get the Sticky Toffee Pudding, sticky toffee cake ramsayso we did. While it was, indeed, very good, I’m still comparing to the butter cake. It reminded me a bit of a very good figgy pudding. Now for Michael Mina, OMG on the lobster pot pie!….and the foie gras….and the short rib ravioli….omg the butter was the best we had all trip and I always eat bread just so I can have the butter. lobster pie mina 2When I lose the weight from these four days, I will be ready to come back. I usually have to wait a whole year to dine like this again, but my nephew is getting married in Vegas in June. I had better start playing tennis five days a week!

If you’ve been to Vegas you know there are some amazing hotels lining the Strip, and probably some that aren’t on the Strip. Unfortunately, my hubs’ convention was at The Mirage, which isn’t the best hotel on the Strip. Next year we are staying somewhere else and he is taxiing to the show. I have decent list of hotels to choose from that I think are pretty fabulous: The Wynn, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Venetian or the Palazzo, but never again The Mirage. I wish I could tell you about some shows, but we didn’t see any on this trip. Our dining lasted late into the evening and after shopping all day for the girls and working all day for the hubs, we rolled ourselves into bed and crashed.

Let me know your favorite restaurants, shows and  hotels in Vegas so I can use that info next time I go!

Gourmet Mac and Cheese Appetizer Muffins (Gluten Free!) 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

Gourmet Mac and Cheese Appetizer Muffins (Gluten Free!)

For the first time in several years I am playing Bunco again.  I only know one of the ladies, so it will be a great opportunity to meet some people.  Doesn’t hurt that I won….a whole $15!!!  Plus, I think it is going to a fun group.  I had to make an appetizer to bring with me, so I made some nice comfort food, namely macmac cheese muffins 11 and cheese.  These could be rolled into balls, chilled and fried, also.  You can’t tell this quinoa macaroni from the original, but there are alternatives such as brown rice macaroni.  I just like the quinoa better.  The muffins could actually be served either as a side dish or an appetizer, or a snack for your children.  You could definitely use this recipe for a pan of mac and cheese too.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon melted butter, plus more for baking dishes
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
8 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese
4 ounces grated Fontina
4 ounces shredded Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for topping
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 1/4 cups whole milk (or for creamier use half of whipping cream and half of water)
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes.
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Butter two muffin tins for a dozen muffins each.
3. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon melted butter with breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan and set aside.

4. Cook macaroni until al dente, In a large pot of boiling salted water, according to package instructions; drain.

mac cheese muffins 3mac cheese muffins 4
5. In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; add cubed cream cheese and stir until melted, about 2 minutes.

mac cheese muffins 2mac cheese 6
6. Gradually stir in remaining cheeses until melted, about 5 minutes.

mac cheese muffins 5mac cheese muffins 1
7. Add cooked pasta, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; and nutmeg and stir to combine.

mac cheese muffins 7
8. Divide the mixture into muffins tins and bake until bubbling, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes more.

mac cheese muffins 11mac cheese muffins 8

Commentary: Islam’s atrocities for the past few days..

2015.02.05 (Damascus, Syria) – The Army of Islam sends rockets into mainly Christian neighborhoods, killing ten residents.
2015.02.04 (Beni, DRC) – Seven women are among twenty-one villagers hacked to death by ADF-NALU.
2015.02.03 (Mabrook, Libya) – Islamists storm an oilfield and slit the throats of thirteen employees.
2015.02.03 (Raqqa, Syria) – The caliphate releases a video showing a captured Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage.
2015.02.03 (Alexandria, Egypt) – A civilian is killed – and a child injured – by an Islamist bomb at a checkpoint.
2015.02.02 (Raqqa, Syria) – Another gay man is thrown from a building by Sharia activists.
Herbed Roast Chicken (Super Easy One-Pan Dinner!) 1024 696 Mari Bickmore

Herbed Roast Chicken (Super Easy One-Pan Dinner!)

Snow day!  Just enough to look pretty and not cause much trouble, but it is cold.  I hope it is really cold all next week, as I won’t be here to enjoy it. I went out before the snow this morning to get my windshield chick olives 7replaced as it has a crack longer than a dollar bill. However, when I got there they did not have the OEM windshield I was promised, and the one they wanted to put in had a scratch, so I went halfway across town for nothing.

Just got through watching the news….those muzzies are at it again.  Burning someone ALIVE.  Disgusting.  Surprised?  No?!  Me either.  Also, I saw that a bunch of celebrities are boycotting the Dorchester Group Hotels, which includes the Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air and eight others.  It is owned by the sultan of Brunei.  I usually think celebrities have no business saying anything about politics, and that is still the case.  This is not really politics…and this time they are right.  Nobody should stay at one of these hotels.  This guy is a tool and in 2014 he instituted a strict Sharia penal code in Brunei.  Women are basically worthless and the LGBT community gets it worse… and he is pretty much exempt from it.  Needless to say, if you believe in human rights, then you are SOL.  Pretty much Islam in a nutshell.  Okay, there is my side dish of commentary for today.

I had a busy day so I wanted to make something really easy for dinner, and I’ve been wanting to try this recipe. Perfect to just put in the oven, sit back and enjoy the aroma.  It is from Bon Appetit with a few minor changes.  It was so flavorful and tender, and wish I had put more olives on my plate.  Definitely a keeper.  When I make it again I am going to chop carrots and roast with it, so I don’t have to make anything else on the side. I roasted broccoli this time and it was great, but you really don’t have to make anything extra.  It was easy and I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow night.  A fairly healthy meal so I’m feeling pretty good!

Ingredients

  • 1 large bay leaf or 2 small
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • pound fingerling potatoes, halved
  • 3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives 
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 chicken leg quarters
  • 1/4  cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 450°.
  • Pulse bay leaf, fennel seeds, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes in spice mill until finely ground.
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  • Toss potatoes with olives, 2 Tbsp olive oil, half of spice mixture, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  • Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and rub with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub with remaining spice mixture.
  • Place the potato mixture around chicken and roast until potatoes are fork-tender, chicken is cooked through, and skin is crisp, 45-55 minutes.
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  • Top the chicken and potato mixture with parsley, lemon zest,(and more red pepper flakes, if desired); spoon pan juices around.

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