Happy Year of the Rabbit

First of all, don't forget to eat crepes on Wednesday February 2. It's Candelmas Day (and Groundhog Day and tradition says if you eat crepes on Candlemas you will enjoy wealth all through the year. Then Thursday, February 3 will mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year (4708), the Year of the Rabbit.

Here's a Chinese New Year dish, taken from Epicurious.

Poached Chicken with Ginger and Scallion Sauce
Epicurious | January 2001
by Michael Tong
Shun Lee Palace, New York, NY

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 3 1/2-lb. Chicken
• 1/2 cup sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons peanut, vegetable, or corn oil
• 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh ginger
• 3 scallions, green part included, trimmed and cut into fine strips, 4 inches long
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry or shao hsing wine
• 1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (optional)
  

Preparation

1. Place the chicken in a covered stock pot filled with enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken stand in the cooking liquid until just warm. Drain, reserving the broth for another use. Rinse the chicken under cold water, pat dry, and rub lightly with sesame oil.
2. Cut the chicken into pieces. Arrange neatly on a platter.
3. Heat the peanut, vegetable, or corn oil in a small saucepan, and when it is hot add the ginger and scallions. Cook about 30 seconds; remove ginger and scallions with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pan.
4. Scatter the ginger and scallions over the chicken.
5. Add the remain ingredients to the oil, bring to a boil and pour over the chicken. Serve at room temperature.
   

The Dangers of Space Travel

Today marks the anniversary of the launchpad fire that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chafee. I've blogged about this anniversary before. Another blog that I follow is Letters of Note, which last November published a memo (from the holdings of the National Archives), written by Nixon speechwriter William Safire. The memo was titled, "In Event of Moon Disaster" and detailed how President Nixon should respond in the event that NASA Mission Control would be unable to get Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin back up from the surface of the moon in 1969.

Fortunately for all those involved the memo was never needed. When a memo written for a presidential statement starts out, "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace" that's some serious stuff.

So if you feel like it, think about those trailblazers who had "the right stuff" to explore space for us and remember those who didn't make it. While you're at it, think about Mark Kelly, whose wife also appears to have the endurance of an astronaut as she recovers from her injury.

Mr. Nelson and his Art

Today marks the day that Nelson Rockefeller "died of a heart attack at his desk in New York City" in 1979. I'm not explaining the quotes. As most of you know, my first job in archives was working on Nelson's papers at the Rockefeller Archive Center and one of the first series I processed were the papers that documented his extensive Art Collection. In that collection of nearly 100 cubic feet were papers about all of the works of art Nelson collected, bought, sold, gave away, and donated to museums. It is an impressive collection of materials. You can read a description of them at the Archive Center's website here. You can also see the finding aid I created by searching the collections database here.

One of Nelson's prized works was Jackson Pollock's No. 12, which was significantly damaged in a fire in the Governor's Mansion. Nelson later donated it to the State of New York. I noted with great interest when I saw (as I do from most of the things I find on) kottke this story about Pollock's paintings. The kottke story links to a Smithsonian Magazine article about Pollock hiding his name in one of his many mural works.

In 1998, I gave a paper at the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting on Nelson's Art Collection. I recently came across the paper when I was doing some electronic file records management. I also talked about one of Henry Moore's Knife Edge sculptures in that paper, which Nelson owned and had installed on the family estate. Another is part of the National Gallery's permanent collection and is being restored.

So you still wondering about the quotes? Well he was in his office. He was near a desk. And he did die, so he's not saying what he may have been doing right before that.

Bread Maker Recipes?

Well dear reader, it's your turn to give back. I recently acquired a bread maker from a friend and am looking forward to giving it a workout. However, it did not come with a recipe book. There is a basic bread recipe in the instruction manual, but I would love to see your favorite bread maker recipes. Specifically, I would love to have a cinnamon raisin bread recipe to make for the boys.

For those of you with bread makers, send those ideas along. Here's a recipe I got from the same person who gave me the bread maker. It is for pizza dough, though I don't know if I will make it - it would disrupt the flow of pizza / movie night on Fridays.

Pizza Dough (Bread Machine)
from CDKitchen
Serves/Makes: 2 crusts | Difficulty Level: 2 | Ready In: 1-2 hrs

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  

Directions:
Place ingredients in pan in order listed or as directed per machine instructions. Select white dough cycle. Makes two 12 inch regular crusts or one 16 inch deep dish crust. Top with desired toppings and bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until crust is light brown.

More Snow Stories

Damn it's cold. For being in the snow hole right now, it is downright frigid out tonight. I am in the camp that if we are going to have snow, it's got to be paralyzing. While there is more snow in the forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday this is also likely to be the ugly "wintry mix."

Earlier this week, the city of Pittsburgh got some icy weather and it got some drivers in trouble.

I am reminded of a story when we have a little wintry precipitation how this is really a "southern city." Two of my parent's best friends moved to the DC area from the Northeast. One morning Stu got up to go off to work and found himself behind a line of wary DC commuters unable to navigate their way up a hill. Disgusted with them, he put his car in park went up to the first car in the line, told the driver to move over - and drove the person to the top of the hill. He then walked back to the next driver and repeated this until he could get back in his car and be on his way.

Having grown up in an area that gets its fair share of snowfall (and for that matter, the NY area is getting hammered this winter) I like to think that I know what I am doing when driving in snow. My problem, like Stu, is everybody else, especially the brain dead drivers who are driving their SUVs like they're immune to the snow, or usually ice. I admit to taking a bit of perverse pleasure when I see an SUV off the road, especially if they have blown by me earlier.

On the day after Christmas, the Brave Astronaut clan saddled up for our trip to NY to visit with my father and family. The DC area was supposed to get some snow and we had decided we would wait and see what the morning brought. It turned out to be a few flurries - so we decided to go. Now we knew that NYC was in the bullseye for this storm, but I didn't expect that it would be a problem - that we could get ahead of it. I was wrong.

We made good time heading north until we reached the Delaware Memorial Bridge. That's when things went downhill fast. Conditions deteriorated and we found ourselves on snow covered roads with visibility falling fast and Mrs. BA getting increasingly anxious. I told her that I wanted to keep going as long as I felt comfortable. My comfort level bottomed out at exit 5 on the New Jersey Turnpike. We stopped at the James Fenimore Cooper rest area for a late lunch and determine our next move. You know those huge maps with phones to make hotel reservations in the rest areas? Yeah, me too, I never really looked that close at them. Well, on this day, we determined we had lots of hotel options at exit 5.

We got back in the car and head for the exit, about 10 miles up the turnpike. We walked into the Best Western in Mount Holly, NJ at about 3:15pm. We were one of the first. By about 7:00 in the evening the hotel was sold out - as were several of the others at that interchange (there were about 5 different hotels). The guy who checked us in told us of a Target up the road where we were able to get some provisions (food for dinner, some movies to amuse LBA and SoBA). The boys thought this was the best thing ever. They didn't go to sleep until almost 10:30 that night.

Meanwhile, we watched the snow pile up. And up. And up. We got back on the road about 10:30 the next morning and made it to my father's place in about 3 hours. Total trip time = about 27 hours. Total driving time = about 9 hours. What it should take? About 5 hours.

As I said when we got back home two days later . . . If I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't.

Snow Stories II

[second in a series]

Yes, I know it's winter. Last week I started a series about snow. The first post was about my public school days and how it had to be really bad before we got a snow day. The post was partly due to the incredulity on my part that LBA's school closed early before a flake had fallen from the sky. The next morning he had a two-hour delay, which I begrudgingly accepted, as I was fully expecting school to be canceled altogether.

That happened yesterday. On Monday evening, we began to get the dreaded "wintry mix," which is so much worse than snow. Snow can be plowed, shoveled, pushed aside. Wintry mix has to be treated. The wintry mix that started on Monday evening was supposed to change over to rain by mid-morning, which it did, but not before my son's school went from a two-hour delay to being closed altogether.

Now I'll grant you, even the Federal Government opened late (on a two-hour delay), and I reiterate that I understand the abundance of caution exhibited by school officials, but it would be nice if we could get a little tougher about it. There's more wintry mix expected for Thursday night into Friday, so Mrs. BA is preparing to be home if schools close again.

Our story today boys and girls is about how one can amuse themselves on a snow day. Yesterday involved movies, some games for the brain, and some Wii. And I made sugar cookies. And dinner. It was a good day.

However, years ago, my mother had organized a trip to the circus at Madison Square Garden in New York City. There were about 100 Girl Scouts expected to go. On the night before the trip, it snowed. A lot. When we got up that morning, my mother foolishly told me that surely one of the girls wouldn't show up and I could go to the circus, too. We arrived at the train station and wouldn't you know it, every. single. girl. showed. up. Parents were surely at a loss at what to do and hey, the trains were running and the [circus] show must go on. It was not a pretty scene on the platform of the train station, when I had to be left behind. That was not a good day.

There were suggestions from neighborhood parents yesterday about how to amuse cooped up children. One of the better suggestions was increased physical activity (i.e., a dance party marathon). As it was the neighbor's suggestion, I asked if I could come over instead as it was time to get out of the house.

It was partially my own fault, for did I mention the roads were fine by noontime? But we had fun anyway - and a few years later after the circus snow incident, I got to go to the circus. So it was all good.

Breakfast for Dinner

As has been noted here before, Mondays are usually set aside for "Breakfast for Dinner." Which means pancakes and bacon. We had French Toast a few weeks ago, I would be interested in introducing waffles to the rotation, but for now, LBA's request is for pancakes.

Of course today was the federal holiday to commemorate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King (Mrs. BA and I have a thing for this James Taylor song) and we did not have pancakes. We had a friend of LBA's over for our regularly scheduled Federally Mandated Holiday Play Date and Mrs. BA scored a big hit with an outstanding beef stew. But here is a recipe for basic pancakes - click on the link to see varieties you can make.

Basic Pancakes

• Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  
• Whisk 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/2 stick melted butter,2 eggs and a little vanilla, then whisk into the flour mixture until just combined.
  
• Ladle 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot buttered skillet and cook until bubbly.
  
• Flip and cook until golden on the bottom.

Snow Stories

[first in a series]
So yesterday the DC region braced itself for impact. In the end, we got a little push from Mother Nature, but nothing like the pummeling we saw last winter. I was reminded again yesterday about how Washington DC is really a Southern city when in comes to wintry weather. Before a flake had fallen from the sky, LBA's school district (along with about half a dozen others in the region) had decided to close schools two hours early. Many of them (including LBA's) opened two hours late this morning. This of course meant I had to leave the office early yesterday and came in late this morning. Now I have a very understanding supervisor, so that wasn't an issue - but she and I had a conversation about the "freakout" that occurs every time a little snow is forecast for the area (she's from the Chicago area).

As my faithful readers know, I grew up on Long Island in New York State. For years, as a school-age child, I would go to sleep the night before school as a snow storm would bear down on the island. In most cases, I went to school the next morning - at the regular time, mind you. I didn't learn about "delayed openings" until I became a teacher. Living on the island (surrounded on three sides by water) our snow totals were almost always less than "North and West" of the [New York] city, which typically got more snow. We had to have a pretty good snowfall (in excess of 6 inches) for school to be canceled. I recall one morning that it had been announced that school had been canceled and I decided to go out and make some money shoveling. While out, the call was reversed and the buses started to roll. I hid behind a client's garage. Yes, well, that's water under the bridge. My mother didn't make me go to school when I came home.

One of the darkest days of my schooling years was when we learned we were getting a new superintendent in our school district. Dr. Philip E. Tieman was from Buffalo (specifically Tonawanda) - well North and West of the city. Students in our district bemoaned the hiring, fearing that snow days would cease to happen. Hey, if this guy could see out his second story window, surely we could get to school, right? Well, we still got snow days, but I sure there were fewer than before.

Now I understand the rationale for closing school early or calling for a delayed opening, really I do. No superintendent wants to be in charge when some high school student wraps their car around a phone pole on the way home or to school. But it would be nice if that decision were based on some tangible evidence. School did not have to close early yesterday - cancel all after school activities? sure - the difference between 1:00 and 3:00 yesterday saw nothing threatening coming from the sky. I'll even give them the delayed opening this morning. It took some time to get the roads cleared overnight - but I was convinced when I went to bed last night that school was going to be canceled this morning. I got lucky.

You may recall in 2009, President Obama called Washington out, labeling the city's residents "weather wimps" based on some ice that had closed Sidwell Friends, where his daughters go to school. Now when the President of the United States tells you to suck it up on camera, wouldn't you begin to rethink your whole closing policy? Of course, there was last year's winter - the likes of which will probably not be seen here for a long time - but we still need to adapt to the region's weather patterns.

We are only in mid-January. We have all of February left to go. And as my mother always used to say, make sure you got her gift in time for her birthday on March 22, because there would likely be snow.

Sunday Dinner - Monday Recipe

Last night, the Brave Astronaut family sat down to a nice Sunday dinner. Given how cold it was outside (I had even built a fire in the fire place earlier) - it was nice to have a good "stick to your ribs" kind of meal. Chili or stew would have worked, but we went with a nice roast beef with roasted potatoes.

While this is not a "full-on" recipe, it does the job if you want to follow it. As I have noted before, I am more of an "adventurous" cook - flying without a net, so to speak.

Roast Beef and Roasted Potatoes
(I used a nice tied top round - purchased at the lovely, new Wegmans!)

Preheat the oven to 45o degrees. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place in roasting pan on a rack that raises it slightly off the bottom of the pan. Roast at the high heat for 15 minutes. While the roast is cooking, cube some potatoes (I used both russet and gold) and toss with some olive oil and spices (I used salt, pepper, some rosemary, thyme, and a splash of sage). I also cubed an onion and threw in some cloves of garlic.

After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes in the roasting pan around the meat and return to the oven. Occasionally, stir the potatoes and, if you like, pour a tiny amount of red wine on the meat, but not too much to "drown" the potatoes.

The potatoes will need about an hour to cook and the roast can be taken out to rest when the internal temperature is between 120 and 130 degrees (for rare). Let the roast rest for about 10-15 minutes before carving.

I used the rest time to turn the broiler on for the potatoes to crisp them up a little. Watch them carefully so they don't burn.

I also whipped up a quick red wine gravy to serve with the meat.

• some red wine
• some water
• I used a concentrated packet of chicken broth (use beef if you have it)
• some "brown gravy flavoring" (my mother used to use something called "gravy master" and there is also bovril)
• some corn starch to thicken

Whisk all ingredients together and bring to a simmer. Serve and enjoy!

This one's just for the OC

And anyone else who likes Root Beer. Really, who doesn't like root beer?

From the Washington Post, October 27, 2010, of which the majority of the recipes dealt with root beer-flavored foods.

Root Beer Pinwheel Cookies

Summary:
These classic cookies have the twist of a root beer-flavored layer.

Root beer extract is available at Fran's Cake and Candy Supplies in Fairfax City (703-352-1471) and can be ordered directly from the Cook Flavoring Co. (800-369-3400).

MAKE AHEAD: Store for a few weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies' flavor actually improves after a few days.

Makes about 52 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 teaspoon root beer extract (see headnote)
  

Directions:
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and sugar; beat to incorporate, then add the egg and beat to combine. Reduce the speed to low; slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Transfer half of the dough to a mixing bowl; add the root beer extract. Knead the extract into the dough until blended. The dough will look slightly marbled; that's okay.

Cut four 20-inch pieces of parchment paper. Working with one dough half at a time, place the dough between two of the sheets and pat down to form a flat disk. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin oblong about 14 by 17 inches. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Remove the parchment from the root beer dough. Remove the top sheet of parchment from the plain dough. Place the root beer dough on top of the plain dough so they align as closely as possible. Trim away any excess edges.

Starting with the long side facing you, roll the layered dough into a tight jellyroll, peeling it off the parchment as you go. Trim the ends of the roll neatly. Roll up the dough in the parchment paper, twisting the ends to seal the cylinder of dough.

Transfer to the freezer for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Placing the roll in the cardboard tube of a paper towel roll or wrapping paper roll will help the roll of dough keep its shape.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Unwrap the dough rolls from the freezer and place on a cutting board. Use a thin, sharp knife to cut the dough into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange on the baking sheets spaced 1 inch apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies just start to brown at the edges. Use a spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving or storing.

Recipe Source:
Adapted from a recipe in Maida Heatter's "Book of Great Cookies" (Knopf, 1978), by Nourish columnist Stephanie Witt Sedgwick.

45 calories, 2g fat, 1g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 20mg sodium, 6g carbohydrates, n/a dietary fiber, 3g sugar, n/a protein.

The 50 Most Hated Characters in Literary History

I guess we have to go back to work tomorrow. I know that LBA is already having issues with going back to school as he has been off since December 22. I did score the books that I had on my list this year and it has reminded me that I wanted to post this list of the people you loved to hate while you are reading.

Feel free to discuss here or amongst yourselves. I offer the list without comment, although the post does have a number of interesting comments. Plus, I look skeptically at a list that nails three of the four major characters from Gone With the Wind and doesn't include Ashley Wilkes. Don't rage at me, as the site / post says, "this list is silly fun, not serious business, and compiled from scanning numerous book forums and discussions both online and off."

The 50 Most Hated Characters in Literary History

1. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen - The Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer
2. Cholly Breedlove - The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
3. Holden Caulfield - Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
4. Scarlett O’Hara - Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
5. Iago - Othello, William Shakespeare
6. Anita Blake - The Anita Blake series, Laurell K. Hamilton
7. Tom Buchanan - The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. Heathcliff - Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
9. Dolores Umbridge - The Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
10. Dorian Gray - The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
11. Albert - The Color Purple, Alice Walker
12. Ayla - The Earth’s Children series, Jean M. Auel
13. John Willoughby - Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
14. Rhett Butler - Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
15. Karen Brewer - The Babysitter’s Club series, Ann M. Martin
16. Humbert Humbert - Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
17. Daisy Buchanan - The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
18. Catherine Earnshaw - Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
19. Mr. and Mrs. Samsa - The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
20. Estella Havisham - Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
21. Robert “The Sentry” Reynolds - Marvel Universe
22. Broud - Clan of the Cave Bear, Jean M. Auel
23. Edward Rochester - Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
24. Mrs. Ferrars - Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
25. Bob Ewell - To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
26. Hamlet - Hamlet, William Shakespeare
27. Voldemort - The Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
28. Patrick Bateman - American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
29. Big Brother - 1984, George Orwell
30. Rufus - “The Lame Shall Enter First,” Flannery O’Connor
31. Stanley Kowalski - A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams
32. Emma Bovary - Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
33. Beth March - Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
34. Napoleon - Animal Farm, George Orwell
35. Ignatius J. Reilly - A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
36. Romeo Montague - Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
37. Madame Defarge - A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
38. The Joker - DC Universe
39. O’Brien - 1984, George Orwell
40. Faye Greener - The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West
41. Miss Havisham - Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
42. Jack Merridew - Lord of the Flies, William Golding
43. Robert Langdon - Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown
44. Abigail Williams - The Crucible, Arthur Miller
45. Amanda Wingfield - The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams
46. Kay Scarpetta - The Kay Scarpetta series, Patricia Cornwall
47. The Second Mrs. de Winter - Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
48. Melanie Hamilton Wilkes - Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
49. Godot - Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett
50. Satan - The Bible

Christmas in New York

Today would have been the day set aside for the Brave Astronaut family's annual excursion to New York City. However, we the Blizzard of 2010 and the planned family events for today - we may do an abbreviated version tomorrow on our way home.

Normally, our route involves, the Long Island Rail Road into the city and then making our way around the city, taking in the sights. We usually walk over to Fifth Avenue and then up as far as FAO Schwarz, where LBA and SoBA would surely walk out with something. We also like to take in the windows at Lord and Taylor and of course, the Tree at Rockefeller Center. This year LBA commented he wanted to go into the New York Public Library, which is Ghostbusters-related.

Getting to Fifth Avenue from Penn Station in NY usually means walking along 34th Street (passing Macy's, which also has great windows this year). The New York Times had an article some time ago about altering the way 34th Street looks (seen first on kottke). Basically, they want to do something similar to Times Square, that is banning cars in a block near Macy's and the Empire State Building. I just don't want to think what it will do to the traffic.

Speaking of the Empire State Building, kottke (again) profiled the Ric Burns documentary, New York, in which there is a great segment on the building of the building. Let us not forget, the Empire State Building went up in about two years, and under budget.

Finally, recently the Museum of the City of New York has announced that the majority of its historical photo collections of New York City are now available online.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

On the Road North

Happy Boxing Day to all. The Brave Astronaut Clan is heading north today to visit with my family - for the second year in a row all of my siblings will be present for Christmas (I'm sure wherever my mother is, she's mad - she very rarely could get all of us together). We have a full lineup of "social aerobics" planned for the few days we will be up there, including a trip to NYC on Tuesday.

The challenge today will be getting to my father's in less time than it took us last year. It shouldn't be hard - as last year's trip clocked in at nearly 11 hours. I might have to use this bypass around the Delaware tolls, as I really hate those tolls and the backups they create (see the map at right, click to embiggen).

I hope that Santa brought you everything you wanted and more!

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night

[full disclosure - I wrote this post in advance (and for that matter - have posted this story before) but I am quite sure that when this post goes live, I will be at home - with my two boys safely sleeping in their rooms - making sure that everything is ready for Christmas morning here at the launchpad. Mrs. BA is surely around somewhere, but I am likely taking a moment, sitting on the couch in the living room looking at the tree, with some Christmas music playing in the background. I will look over at the ceramic trees sitting on the mantle and think about how much I miss my mother (Christmas was her favorite holiday). Then it will be time to head to bed for Santa is surely circling the house waiting for no creatures stirring before he lands on the roof. LBA and SoBA have put out some cookies and milk for him and left some carrots for the reindeer.

You see, I believe in Santa Claus. Yes, I understand that all of the Santas that you see around at this time of year are not him, they just work for him. The real Santa exists, he is always there. My very best wishes to everyone out there for a very Merry Christmas and Peace and Love in the new year. Love to my wife, the very best one out there, my two wonderful boys, and to my family and friends. I hope that you will always hear the bell, as I do.]

From the Editorial Page of the New York Sun, 1897

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor-
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to have men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive of imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest mean, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

If you are interested, here is the rest of the story.

Francis P. Church’s editorial, “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” was an immediate sensation, and went on to became one of the most famous editorials ever written. It first appeared in the The New York Sun in 1897, almost a hundred years ago, and was reprinted annually until 1949 when the paper went out of business.

Thirty-six years after her letter was printed, Virginia O’Hanlon recalled the events that prompted her letter:

“Quite naturally I believed in Santa Claus, for he had never disappointed me. But when less fortunate little boys and girls said there wasn’t any Santa Claus, I was filled with doubts. I asked my father, and he was a little evasive on the subject.

“It was a habit in our family that whenever any doubts came up as to how to pronounce a word or some question of historical fact was in doubt, we wrote to the Question and Answer column in The Sun. Father would always say, ‘If you see it in the The Sun, it’s so,’ and that settled the matter.

“ ‘Well, I’m just going to write The Sun and find out the real truth,’ I said to father.

“He said, ‘Go ahead, Virginia. I’m sure The Sun will give you the right answer, as it always does.’ ”

And so Virginia sat down and wrote her parents’ favorite newspaper.

Her letter found its way into the hands of a veteran editor, Francis P. Church. Son of a Baptist minister, Church had covered the Civil War for The New York Times and had worked on the The New York Sun for 20 years, more recently as an anonymous editorial writer. Church, a sardonic man, had for his personal motto, “Endeavour to clear your mind of cant.” When controversal subjects had to be tackled on the editorial page, especially those dealing with theology, the assignments were usually given to Church.

Now, he had in his hands a little girl’s letter on a most controversial matter, and he was burdened with the responsibility of answering it.

“Is there a Santa Claus?” the childish scrawl in the letter asked. At once, Church knew that there was no avoiding the question. He must answer, and he must answer truthfully. And so he turned to his desk, and he began his reply which was to become one of the most memorable editorials in newspaper history.

Church married shortly after the editorial appeared. He died in April, 1906, leaving no children.

Virginia O’Hanlon went on to graduate from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts degree at age 21. The following year she received her Master’s from Columbia, and in 1912 she began teaching in the New York City school system, later becoming a principal. After 47 years, she retired as an educator. Throughout her life she received a steady stream of mail about her Santa Claus letter, and to each reply she attached an attractive printed copy of the Church editorial. Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas died on May 13, 1971, at the age of 81, in a nursing home in Valatie, N.Y.

A Christmas Drinking Game

As everyone prepares to settle down and enjoy family and friends for the Christmas holiday, here's a little something to help lighten to mood - when the family and friends prove too much (from the Daily Meal).

"It doesn't matter what you have in your glass — eggnog, punch, a warm cocktail, Champagne — chances are you're going to be drinking a lot this holiday season. Why not up the ante this Christmas with a fun game that actually turns typical holiday occurrences into an incentive to drink? Just print out the rules below, and let the imbibing begin!"

Take One Drink if:

• Someone recites the "You'll shoot your eye out" line while you're watching A Christmas Story.
• Someone asks if you have been naughty or nice this year.
• A family member asks about your love life. (For singles: If you're in a relationship yet. For couples: When you're getting married).
• Someone tries to guess what is inside a specific present.
• A kid complains that a sibling has more presents under the tree than they do.
• One of the Coca-Cola commercials with the super-cute polar bears plays on TV.
• Someone recites more than one quote from Elf.
• Someone gets called Scrooge or a Grinch.
  

Take Two Drinks if:

• Someone is wearing a Santa hat or an ugly Christmas sweater (if they're wearing both at the same time, finish the drink).
• You run out of wrapping paper on Christmas Eve.
• Someone says, "I think Santa forgot..." on Christmas morning.
• Your mother-in-law says she would have made something differently finish the drink if she says she would have made it better).
• Someone comments that It's a Wonderful Life is their favorite Christmas movie. [everybody take two drinks - because it is my favorite Christmas movie]
  
• You know most of the lines to Wham's "Last Christmas."
  

Take Three Drinks if:

• Someone fakes excitement over a gift.
• Someone makes an bad or inappropriate mistletoe joke.
• An ornament breaks (take an extra sip if the cause was a pet's tail).
• If some item of the Christmas meal gets burnt.
• A family member starts to sing after one too many glasses of eggnog (or other Christmas cocktail).
  

Finish Your Drink if:

• A visiting family member tells you you've lost weight (and you know you haven't).
• It actually snows on Christmas morning.
• You receive something you know has been re-gifted.
• Someone accidentally reveals to a young child that Santa doesn't really exist. Oops.

A Birthday Cake Recipe

I guess it's bound to happen periodically, when my birthday falls on a Monday (it happened in 1971, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1999, 2004, and this year). So the Brave Astronaut clan celebrated at home yesterday with some great friends, a big pot of chili, and an outstanding cake made by Mrs. BA. Just in case you were wondering, I have the best wife in the whole world.

The cake comes from the Buttercup Bakery Cookbook. I picked it. It was awesome. As a birthday present to me (I'm sure it's just for me), it appears that Magnolia Bakery may be coming to DC.

White Layer Cake with Chocolate Chips

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks unsalted butter, softened)
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour two 9x2 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with waxed paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix the milk and the vanilla extract together. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract mixture, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, on the high speed of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into batter, making sure no streaks of white are showing. Then gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

When cake has cooled, ice between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake.

[Here is the icing I chose]
Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream and vanilla. In another bowl, sift the sugar and cocoa together. Then add them to the cream and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form but the mixture is stiff enough to spread.

Pasta and Peas!

A popular (and quick and easy) meal around the launchpad for the boys is "Pasta and Peas." It's not quite boxed mac and cheese, which appears as well, but just what it says. Cook some pasta, throw in some frozen peas, sprinkle a little cheese on top, and serve.

My new grocery love, Wegmans, had this recipe on its Twitter feed in early November - it's a good variation that should even appeal to the grownup set.

Fettuccine with Prosciutto & Peas

Ingredients

• 1 box (16 oz) Italian Classics Fettuccine, prepared per pkg directions; keep warm (reserve 1/4 cup pasta water)
• 1 pkg (24 oz) Italian Classics Parmesan Cream Sauce (Prepared Foods)
• 1/2 pkg Food You Feel Good About Petite Sweet Peas (Frozen Foods)
• 1 pkg (4 oz) Italian Classics Prosciutto, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 pkg (0.25 oz) Food You Feel Good About Italian Parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp lemon zest
  

Directions

1. Heat sauce in braising pan on MEDIUM. Add peas and prosciutto; simmer 5 min.
2. Add pasta, reserved pasta water, parsley, and lemon zest to pan; toss to combine.
   

Summer Blockbusters

With the first snowfall here in the DC area, it is as good a time as any to trot out this list of Top Summer Blockbusters (seen first on kottke, from Time Out New York to help warm you up. It is also Pizza / Movie night at the launchpad and on screen tonight is likely to be The Empire Strikes Back (#7 on the list below) possibly with a Christmas special appetizer. It is going to be SOOOO TINSEL!

Here's the list of 30. According to Time Out the movies are ranked as "the biggest fun machines of all time: the movies designed for maximum impact."

Feel free to discuss in the comments.

1. Jaws (1975) - clearly the Summer Movie Blockbuster of all Blockbusters.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"
3. Star Wars (1977) - the first, the original, the only one really worth watching (and by the way, that is the proper title - none of this "New Hope" crap.
4. Ghostbusters (1984) - another popular choice in the Friday movie lineup.
5. E.T. (1982) - not one of my favorites.
6. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) - the movie / documentary that almost swung an election.
7. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
8. Terminator 2 : Judgment Day (1991) - really?
9. Face/Off (1997) - um, really, really?
10. Aliens (1986) - don't know if I would put this higher on the list from the original
11. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - I'll give them this one. The third was possibly the best of the trilogy.
12. Jurassic Park (1993) - nothing says summer like man-eating dinosaurs
13. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1998) - this was an OK movie, but it's getting a little better with age.
14. Die Hard (1988) - I just saw an article that listed this as a Christmas movie. Well kinda sorta, I guess it is.
15. Total Recall (1990) - The Governator gets another movie on the list?
16. The Truman Show (1998) - If only we'd known this would spark "real" reality television, we might have smothered this film.
17. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - I know I speak blasphemy to many, but Harry Potter is just not my thing.
18. Animal House (1978) - "Thank you sir, May I have another!"
19. Batman (1989) - In this case, the first is the best.
20. Gladiator (2000) - A Hero Will Rise
21. Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - I'm kinda not a big fan of the Depp.
22. Gremlins (1984) - Again, a Christmas movie in the summertime.
23. In the Line of Fire (1993) - Good for you, Clint, finally getting on this list.
24. Star Trek (2009) - in this case, the last is one of the best.
25. Wall-E (2008) - pass.
26. The Dark Knight (2008) - It comes close to being as good as the first one, but only because of Heath Ledger.
27. Back to the Future (1985) - A great film that on my list would be higher than here.
28. X-Men (2000) - a lot of the superhero genre is lost on me.
29. Armageddon (1998) - again, Bruce Willis!
30. Independence Day (1996) - Mr. Summer Blockbuster, Will Smith, gets the final entry.

Upside-Down Pizza Casserole

[photo from here]

As has been mentioned here, Friday nights at the launchpad are usually pizza and movie night. I came across this recipe and wonder if it might be a popular choice in the regular lineup. Schedules are such that dinner for the boys often deteriorates to whatever can be produced quickly, wherein quality is often sacrificed.

But this looks like it might be OK, albeit not the most nutritious or healthy, but a fun substitution. Or maybe one could make pizza lollipops.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 15-ounce can Italian-style tomato sauce
• 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
• 1 10-ounce package refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet cook beef until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce; heat through. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle mixture with cheese.
2. Flatten each biscuit with your hands; arrange the biscuits on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden. Makes 5 servings.
   

My Christmas List

The other night I flipped on the TV and found that it was time for the yearly showing of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Then last night, it was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Once we get "The Year Without a Santa Claus," the trifecta will be complete. There is also this special coming up on December 9, which is "so tinsel!"Yesterday, the Brave Astronaut Clan, along with the OSG family, Special K and J in PA, headed into the country in search of the perfect Christmas tree. The launchpad is mostly decorated on the interior (except for the trees) and outside lights went up today, so Christmas must really be here. Now is someone coming to write out all the Christmas cards?

If you haven't finished your shopping yet and you were looking for a little something for a Brave Astronaut that you love, here are a few ideas. This marked the first year I think that LBA followed in his father's footsteps by looking intently through the Target toy catalog (although in my day it was the Sears catalog) to help inform Santa what he would like.

In no particular order:

• One of the many catalogs that have come to the house of late was the Signals catalog. I actually enjoy this catalog, interesting though this year it came addressed to LBA and not me. I found this plaque, which I really liked.
  

• Stephen King has a new book out again this Christmas (after last year's Under the Dome). It is called Full Dark, No Stars and it looks to be good and creepy, just like you expect his stuff to be.
  

• I really enjoying reading the work of Bill Bryson, who also has a new book out this year. The latest is called At Home, A Short History of Private Life.

• I found out about this artist from [who else?] kottke. I like both the presidents series and the states plates, although not necessarily the states I would want (where I live or have lived - although DC as a Pop-Tart is pretty cool))
  

• I would really like a new padfolio. I'm not picky, just one with a pad. My current one is being held together with packing tape. I could also use a new card holder / money clip (kind of like this one).
  

• I missed this when it was out in the theaters and for that matter, live, but I am sure a DVD is on the way at some point. Billy Joel also has a new CD out with some of his greatest hits remastered. He must need money to pay for his dual hip replacement.
  

And for those of you out there for which money is no object, any of the items from the
The Neiman-Marcus Christmas Book, which is celebrating 50 years of the His and Hers gifts with its "special gifts" section, including:

• His and Hers Luxury Houseboat - $250,000
• The Edible Gingerbread Playhouse (from Dylan's Candy Bar)- $15,000
• A Dale Chihuly Pool Sculpture Installation - only $1.5 million
  

Of course, if you are interested in what the going rate is for the gifts in the "Twelve days of Christmas," you can check here. The total cost of this year's gifts is $23439.38, up 9.2% from last year. Happy Holidays!