Daily bread

All of my information on the Strangites is from a single source: http://www.strangite.org/

The site hasn't been updated in quite a while, but they still have a bit of a grudge against the "corporate" organization in Utah.  It's complicated, but they excommunicated Brigham Young; lot of bad blood between the two factions at the time. Quite an interesting history of little known lore.

The Strangites relocated to Beaver Island because a vision told them to, and so they did.

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If I can trust my online sources, focaccia is closer than you think, Mr. Beagles.  Matter of fact, five years ago the Cheboygan Tribune had a recipe for focaccia.

But check this out:

Chicken Bruschetta

Seasoned all white meat grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, freshly chopped tomatoes seasoned with Italian herbs drizzled with a tangy balsamic glaze and crisp lettuce served hot from the oven on a basil cheese focaccia roll.

Available at the Dairy Queen on Main Street in Cheboygan.

I don't know what grocery availability is like in northern Michigan, but surely there are "ethnic" sections in the stores or obscure little markets that stock such exotic items.  You may be surprised.

Most flatbreads use the same ingredients, with variations on types of oil and flour used, and are easy to make.  Sometimes I think about baking bread or making ramen noodles but none of the recipes I've seen lend themselves to single servings.  I don't want to have to eat the same stuff everyday; a full batch of anything is too much for me and wasting food is not a habit of mine.

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A while back Uncle Ken and I were yakking about regional food, and were speculating on whether Mr. Beagles had a yearning for good Italian beef sandwiches or deep dish pizza.  But since Mr. Beagles bailed out of the Chicago area right after high school, maybe not.  Those acquired tastes take time, and money from a job, to develop.

Then I mentioned a food unique to northern Michigan, the mighty pasty, with which Uncle Ken was unfamiliar.  I know they were a big deal in the UP, but not sure if they are common south of the bridge.  The way I described them was they're like a giant empanada or dumpling; a pastry shell stuffed with mostly meat and potatoes (if memory serves).  Maybe I should make some of those; easy enough to vary the fillings and I'm sure they would freeze well.  A mutant pasty using Mexican-type ingredients would be amazing...and now I'm getting hungry.

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For Mr. Beagles' amusement, here is a link to some wacky, home-made log splitters:
http://hackaday.com/2016/07/28/log-splitters-hacking-wood-for-heat/

Some of the linked YouTube videos are as scary as hell; safety does not seem to be a big priority.

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Had a curious experience last night.  The TV was tuned to the local PBS station for the Donkey's convention, but the audio source was my old iPod.  The speechifying is too annoying to keep listening to, and I can always switch the audio source if anything looks interesting.

The Big Girl comes out, resplendent in white as she makes her grand entrance.  I don't think she's ever looked better.  As soon as she stepped up to the podium and began speaking, The Who started playing "Won't Get Fooled Again."  Seriously.  I can't make up stuff like that.

What are the odds?  Over 1800 songs, from Bach to Lupe Fiasco, all on shuffle (random) play.  Eerie.  Anyhow, I let the music play on and never heard what she had to say.  I can always read about it later.

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"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence."    -- Charles Bukowski