Potato tortilla filling
6 large waxy boiling potatoes 1 large onion, NOT super-sweet. 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil Steam or boil the potatoes until they can be pierced through easily with a knife. When cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into approximately 1/4-inch slices, then spread them out to cool completely. Cut the onion in half…
Basic instructions for cooking tortillas
The traditional way of making tortillas is to add the egg-plus-filling mixture to a hot, oiled skillet. When the eggs begin to solidify on the bottom, the tortilla is flipped upside down onto a plate, the skillet wiped out and re-oiled; the tortilla is then slid back into the skillet. The process is repeated until…
Rebirth of a rivertown
Walking down the main business street in Cairo, Ill., it’s tempting to think that this spring’s floodwaters of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers were sent to put the languishing town out of its misery once and for all. Many buildings along Commercial Street in Illinois’ southernmost town have long been abandoned, left to decay since…
Allen in top form in Midnight in Paris
A longing for another time has never been far from many of Woody Allen’s films. Many of his movies take place in a past (Radio Days, Bullets Over Broadway) that’s recreated, if not idyllically, then certainly with rose-colored glasses. His latest, Midnight in Paris, examines Allen’s longing for the past. His onscreen surrogate gets to…
Artichoke, spinach, and blue cheese tortilla filling
1 c. coarsely chopped artichoke hearts or bottoms, either fresh cooked or canned 1 c. cooked chopped spinach, squeezed dry and tightly packed. 3/4 c. crumbled blue cheese, preferably Spanish Cabrales or substitute other blue cheese such as Gorgonzola 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated 1 T. chopped fresh tarragon OR…
Springfield playwright brings ice cream to comedy
What could possibly be more fun than a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake? How about two ice cream cakes and one wedding ring? Throw in a rich software developer named Alvin Chandler, a veterinarian named Brad Chancellor, a good girl, a gold digger, two mothers who want their sons to marry, and a gossipy cousin to…
Letters to the Editor 6/16/11
MAKE PROSECUTORS PAY You have had a series of articles on the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at UIS [see “Defenders of the innocent,” May 26, by Patrick Yeagle]. This last year I audited the course at UIS conducted by Larry Golden in which Bill Clutter appeared a number of times. It was eye opening to…
A different tortilla
I still don’t completely understand why my husband, Peter, threw me a big 40th birthday surprise party. It was a surprise all right – I’d only turned 32. “I just thought it’d be funny,” he told me. Peter hadn’t told the guests my real age, either. Most arrived with joke presents: black plastic flowers, towels…
FISHING UNDER FIRE
Two different groups are calling Illinois’ urban fishing program a bad idea. One says it’s fiscally irresponsible, and the other says it’s just plain cruel. Both the Illinois Policy Institute, a group that pushes free-market principals, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a group that pushes for animal rights, say Gov. Pat…
newspaper newsquirk poem #2
newspaper newsquirk poem #2 you could write a poem a weekjust from the newsquirks columnone I’ve saved states that in ataiwan province petty offenders havethe option of playing mah-jong with oldsters rather than fines or prison timeanother tells of a man arrested for stealingtools, materials and dozens of doorknobshe confessed he took the other itemsso…
Heirs of FutureGen land oppose project
The heirs to more than 400 acres of land within a 1,000-acre circle identified as the preferred site for FutureGen 2.0’s carbon storage area say they are opposed to the technology and the use of their land, which is currently controlled by The Farmers State Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville. FutureGen 2.0 is the…
Super 8 undone by lack of originality
If flattery is the most sincere form of praise, then director JJ Abrams nearly drowns his mentor Steven Spielberg in admiration with his latest, Super 8, an obvious pastiche of the cinematic master’s early films. With obvious allusions to Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, as well as many others,…
Trouble at Groupon?
We all like to see homegrown Illinois businesses succeed, but sometimes they get a little too cocky. That may be the case with Chicago-based Groupon. The Internet startup, which offers one discount coupon per day for various U.S. cities, is being sued in a San Francisco federal court for alleged “false and misleading business and…
Outstanding country gardens on annual symphony tour
There are some remarkable gardens on the 22nd annual Illinois Symphony Garden Tour in Springfield. “A Symphony of Country Gardens” will be held from 11-4 Saturday, June 18. Shelly and Ken Hoffman’s garden south of Chatham is the most mature, the Hoffmans having moved into their shingled Cape Cod home next to a cornfield in…
Holding Wall Street accountable in Illinois
If corporations paid their fair share of taxes in Illinois, the state’s budget crisis would disappear, according to an advocacy group calling for higher taxes on big businesses. Make Wall Street Pay Illinois says large banks and corporations in Illinois “continue to hoard their wealth” while slipping through tax loopholes and sending jobs to other…
The perfect match
The touching Tony Award-winning musical about a working man and his wife raising their daughters in revolution-plagued 1905 Russia comes to Sangamon Auditorium June 20. The score includes unforgettable songs “Tradition,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “If I Were A Rich Man.” John Preece plays the lead, Tevye. Don’t miss this Broadway in Springfield production. Fiddler on…
CENTENNIAL BIZ
In a city as old as Springfield, there are bound to be a few businesses getting up there in years. We even have a few businesses and nonprofits nearing or past their 100th year. The Illinois State Historical Society is seeking businesses and nonprofits to honor with its annual Centennial Award, given each year since…
Onion tortilla filling
3 lbs. onions, NOT super-sweet, chopped 6 T. extra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 T. sherry vinegar, preferred, or other wine vinegar 6 large eggs Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Grated aged cheese such as parmesan or an aged Spanish cheese, such as an aged Manchego, and chopped chives or chive…
Radical change:%u2008Slots at the state fairgrounds
A bill recently approved by the General Assembly radically changes the gambling picture in Illinois. Three major things occur. The legislation expands the number of casinos from 10 to 15 throughout the state, allows slot machines at racetracks and brings slots to the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. This year’s fair participants will enjoy horse…
White Oaks renovation planned to attract more people and revenue
A multimillion-dollar renovation is planned for White Oaks Mall beginning as early as late summer. Some say it could mean a boost in sales and property tax for the city of Springfield. “There is absolutely no question that this mall has been an economic engine since the day it opened,” said Mayor Michael Houston at…
IDOT overtime excessive
The Illinois Department of Transportation last fiscal year spent more than $33 million in overtime costs. But in several cases Illinois’ auditor general couldn’t tell why overtime was necessary or find records of actual hours worked. In an audit of IDOT released last Thursday, June 9, Illinois’ Auditor General William Holland found that employees who…
A heavy health care burden
On a recent pleasure trip to San Francisco, I took a ride on one of the many historic streetcars that ply that city’s waterfront. Car 1058 is one of the kinds of cars that made up the fleets of such big-city transit agencies as Chicago’s CTA and the old St. Louis Public Service Co. I…
Sneaking the plutocratic agenda into state law
With widespread, entrenched joblessness in Michigan, working families there are mighty hard hit these days. But the state’s new GOP governor, Rick Snyder, has reached out with a helping hand. Well, not a helping hand for workers. Instead, he handed out a 60 percent tax cut to corporations. To help pay for this giveaway, he…
Why legislators may be back in July
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says he had a simple message for House Republican Leader Tom Cross in the waning hours of the spring legislative session: “See you in July.” As you probably know by now, Cullerton’s Senate voted to add $430 million to the House’s austere state spending plan. The Senate initially wanted to…
Human harmony through music
In a world increasingly riddled with cacophony, rifled in over-stimulation and ruled by dissonance, our lives could use more peacefulness. Music, when presented in a healing form, has existed as a balm of sorts for time immemorial, soothing the savage beast created by self-imposed, human estrangement from serene activities. Artist Marc Hennessey not only believes…
Boundless fun
Southwind Park continues to mature (have you seen the wind turbine yet?) and this Saturday, June 19, offers an amazing day for families to enjoy with Dad. There’s a lineup of entertainment, activities and park offerings including fishing (with a clinic and free poles for kids while supplies last), treeless tree house, horseshoes, splash fountain,…
A killer
June 18 in the Hoogland Center for the Arts Club Room view the film Paranoia directed by central Illinois native and Hollywood veteran Ryan Mitchelle. Brought to Springfield by Walkaway Entertainment, the movie is a psychological thriller about a man who kills a home intruder during a time that a serial killer has been terrorizing…
Prairie State Heartache
Originally formed about a year and a half ago with music industry up-and-comer Jonathan Cour as singer-songwriter and front man, Prairie State Heartache garnered interest from major label producer Rick Beato (Shinedown, Need to Breathe) and seemed poised to make some big noise. But alas, it was not to be, as the band found itself…
Asparagus and cheese tortilla filling
2 c. thinly sliced asparagus PLUS 1/2 c. of asparagus tips. 1 bunch scallions, both green and white parts, thinly sliced 1 c. cheese, either coarsely grated or crumbled* Steam the asparagus or cook in a little boiling water until just barely tender, then immediately rinse under cold water until the pieces are cool. Drain…
