It was a little weird seeing Mark Whittington link to his spaghetti sauce recipe today, because this is very similar to my own, which I just happened to have made last night for the first time in months. The only difference is that I add a general Italian seasoning, lemon juice, some honey, and mushrooms. I also use pureed and whole plum tomatoes (canned) in addition to a can of sauce and a can of paste. And I use turkey Italian sausage, hot not sweet.

It’s also a good base sauce for lasagna.

[Afternoon update]

As a commenter notes, another key difference in mine is that I use fresh minced garlic, not powdered. Several cloves.

[One more update]

I also forgot bay leaves. Whole. And rosemary, fresh from the garden, if possible. We used to grow it in California (in fact, one of the residence hotels I stayed at in El Segundo last year had it growing on the hillside), but I’m not sure it does well in the Florida heat.

[Saturday afternoon update]

I just noticed that Mark writes that the sauce isn’t good for someone who is dieting. I’m not sure why he thinks that–it’s an excellent sauce from that standpoint–lots of protein, vegetables (in the form of onions, peppers, tomatoes) and not even a lot of fat if one has drained it off (I use olive oil to sautee things). Atkins would probably cheer it. The problem with it is not the sauce, but the pasta, which is a high-glycemic carbohydrate. I’d at least recommend whole-wheat…

As someone who lived in LA for a quarter of a century and knows a lot of writers (and not writers) there, including Rob Long, I found this piece hilarious. I hope you do as well.

Congratulations Al Gore.

The Sun shines more energy in an hour on us than we generate as a species in a year so human heat production is not yet much of a factor in climate (but this could change if we keep doubling it). If greenhouse gases cause heating which gets reinforced by lower albedo due to the ice caps melting that would be news. Fortunately, heat radiation goes up as the fourth power of temperature according to the Stephan-Boltzmann Law. So runaway greenhouse is not in the cards.

Let’s tax some coal; that would be cool. Cutting back $50 worth of gasoline use cuts back one fill up. Cutting back $50 worth of coal cuts back two tons. The Party that does it probably won’t win West Virginia in the next election.

A mortgage czar.

What is it with these big-government types and “czars”? What country do they think they live in? Yes, the Bolshevik Revolution was a disaster for Russia, but that doesn’t mean that the Czar was the solution.

A mortgage czar.

What is it with these big-government types and “czars”? What country do they think they live in? Yes, the Bolshevik Revolution was a disaster for Russia, but that doesn’t mean that the Czar was the solution.

A mortgage czar.

What is it with these big-government types and “czars”? What country do they think they live in? Yes, the Bolshevik Revolution was a disaster for Russia, but that doesn’t mean that the Czar was the solution.

It’s been a long time coming, but today is Star Trek appreciation day at the Corner. Just keep scrolling. Jonah is going nuts.

[Update a few minutes later]

It’s not just The Corner. It’s Star Trek Weekend at National Review.

Until yesterday, Michigan hadn’t won a game since Bo Schembechler died, last November. Let’s hope that the rest of the season will go much better. Mallett actually looks like a better natural quarterback than Henne ever has. It’s not obvious who should start next week, even if Henne is healthy.

Maybe this year won’t be a total disaster for (southeast) Michigan football. The Lions are leading the Raiders at the half, ten zip.

Based on the game so far, it looks like Michigan is for real. A for-real loser, that is…

[Update a few minutes later]

A comment over at rec.sport.football.college…

[The Wolverines] are absolutely *killing* Appalachian State’s strength-of-schedule.

Heh.

At the half, they’re down four scores (32-7). I’d sure like to be a fly on the wall in the Michigan locker room.

Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t spend twenty bucks on ESPN game plan to watch the slaughter. It’s not like there were any other games there that I wanted to watch.

[Update a couple minutes later]

OK, last week, it was clear that the defense was weak. But this week, it’s clear that the offense is as well. Both Henne and Hart have produced in past seasons, so I have to think it’s the O-line.

Either way, I was laughing off suggestions that Lloyd would leave over this, but if it keeps up, and Michigan has a losing season (when was the last time that happened?), it could happen. Interestingly, his early years were his best.

[Update at quarter to six Eastern]

Well, it turns out that it’s the local ABC game, so I don’t have that excuse not to watch. Apparently, senior quarterback Henne’s been injured, and replaced. It’s unclear whether that’s a good or a bad thing. But he can’t be feeling very good about his senior season at this point…

[Update after end of game]

OK. It’s pretty clear that Michigan completely sux. The question now is, what will the Athletic Department do about it?