Rule by Rentiers

A seminal post by Krugman, in which he gives the economic explanation for mid-2011 policy-making.

Peanut Butter Blondies

Recipe to try.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Squares

This recipe in Penzey's coincided with blueberry season. I had just gotten a quart of fresh blueberries at the Soulard Farmer's Market from a farm nearby in Illinois. This recipe is amazing and not a care is given to fat or calories here, meaning it tastes great. The cream cheese/whipped cream mixture is punctuated by bursts of fresh blueberries, and the crunch of the graham cracker crust is great, too. Big plus: no baking!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Squares

Prepare 9" X 13" pan buttered lightly.

1/4 cup corn starch

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 cups fresh blueberries

1 package of graham cracker crumbs (about 4 cups of finely crushed graham crackers)

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract

1- 9 oz. package of non-dairy whipped topping, thawed. One cannot use real whipped cream in this preparation. It will not hold up. [JM: Just get regular Cool Whip and use the whole tub.]

Combine the corn starch, sugar, water and blueberries in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until you note thickening and bubbling, stirring regularly. Cool.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs (put in a big Ziplock bag and roll them with a rolling pin) and melted butter. Press half of the buttered crumbs in the bottom of your buttered 9 X 13 pan.

Beat the cream cheese until softened. Combine in the sugar, whipping until smooth. Add vanilla, continuing to smooth. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Spread 1/2 of this mixture over the crumbs. Spread 1/2 of the blueberry filling over the cream cheese layer. Add another cheese layer followed by another blueberry layer in that order ending with the remaining crumbs.

Should look like this:

Cracker (sprinkled)

Blueberry

Cream

Blueberry

Cream

Cracker (pressed)

Chill overnight.

Source: Penzey's Magazine, transcribed by Asheville B&B

Peak Oil

http://www.peakoil.net/

Private Prisons Gaming the System

A new report by the Justice Policy Institute on private prisons gaming the system.

Jamie Foehner Tribute

Jamie was a great guy and we all miss him. I'll let the professional writers fill in the details.

The story when it broke, with everyone's comments.

From the RFT.

Sandy put the following message on the Lemmons Trivia Night Facebook page:

"Hello everyone, I wanted to take the opportunity to let anyone know who

hasn't yet heard - Jamie passed away Monday night, and therefore we will

not be having Trivia Night this week. I will return with Trivia Night

on my own next week; I know it won't be the same, but I also know that

life goes on. Many people have told me how much joy trivia has brought

them, and Jamie also, and this is the best way I can carry on his

memory; Trivia Night was Jamie's brainchild, and wherever he is, he'll

get some smug satisfaction out of me having to do it all myself. Heh."

Arab Spring Viz

This visual is very nice, the execution is smooth, and it is a creative use of a timeline.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline?INTCMP=SRCH

It would really benefit from a way to click on a country and see a news stream for that one country. It is tricky to go from event to event within a country, too. The abstraction when you select an event is very well done.

Savory Asparagus Bread Pudding

This recipe is delicious in the Spring when fresh asparagus hits the market. You can mix up the herbs if you wanted to...I added sage.

Savory Asparagus Bread Pudding

One 1-pound loaf sourdough or other crusty bread

3 cups milk

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1 pound asparagus

3 to 4 ounces oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or casserole with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 3/4-inch slices, then stack 4 or 5 slices of bread. Cut them into 3/4-inch cubes. Repeat with the remaining bread and put all of the cubes in a large bowl.

In medium bowl, whish together the milk, broth, eggs, salt, pepper, and dill until combined. Pour the mixture over the bread.

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Add them to the bread along with the mushrooms and shallots. Fold everything together well to combine the ingredients. Spoon them into the prepared pan and pat down the top to compact the ingredients. Sprinkle the cheese evenly ever the top.

Bake the pudding for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and crisp and there is no liquid in the center. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into portions.

Source: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001571.html