78 thoughts on “Pixel Scroll 7/22/19 Scroll On, You Crazy Pixel”

1. (12) Should Vaughn Bod have a question mark as part of his name (it does in the birthday listing).

2. And to think that I Scrolled it on MulPixel street

3. (16) There are crazy people everywhere.

   (21) Wannabe Big Brothers, too.

4. (22) REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE.

   Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, cut into chunks, add red onion slices which have been cut into quarters, then fresh basil leaves sliced into shreds, finished with basalmic vinaigrette, coarse-ground pepper, and chunks of feta cheese. Optional: some minced garlic.

   (I add a good dose of salt, but then I have really low blood pressure, and salt and garlic are major food groups for me.)

5. Chopped raw over spaghetti with olive oil and parm! And of course, the tomato sandwich—the classic is white bread, mayo, salt and a sliced tomato. It is absurdly good for what it is.

6. 22
   This one is from my grandmother, and I recommend it on things like turkeyburgers. It is not hot, despite the name.

   Chili Sauce
   5 quarts chopped tomatoes
   2 cups chopped sweet red pepper
   2 cups chopped sweet green pepper
   1 1/2 cups chopped onions
   2 tbsp salt
   1 cup sugar (preferably brown)
   3 cups vinegar
   1 tsp ground cloves
   1 tsp ground allspice
   1 tsp ground cinnamon

   Combine chopped vegetables, salt and sugar, and simmer until the mixture begins to thicken. Then add vinegar and spices and cook until it becomes a thick sauce. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Store in a dark cool place.
   Yield: about 3 quarts or 6 pints.
   – Oklahoma A&M

7. Andrew: (12) Should Vaughn Bod have a question mark as part of his name (it does in the birthday listing).

   Negatory, good buddy. I’ve fixed that now, I hope.

8. When I was a kid, our green salads always included tomato pieces. Avocado pieces, too, if we had one. Dressing with those was generally a vinaigrette.

9. “All you need is Scroll, Scroll. Scroll is all you need”

   (22) REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE

   Tomato sauce for pasta (or pasta sauce) is a simple delicious way to use up fresh tomatoes. It concentrates the flavours, all you need is a little patience. This is a basic recipe (substitute fresh tomatoes for canned if you like) & adjust seasonings to taste. Simplest way to use it is to stir it through cooked spaghetti, top with grated parmesan cheese & chopped parsley.

   Shakshuka. My go-to recipe is by Yael Schochat of Ima Cuisine

   For eating fresh, why mess with a classic? Go with a Caprese salad: beautiful ripe tomato, mozzarella, basil leaves, olive oil, salt, black pepper to taste.

10. Finally waded through #9, and all I gotta say is that if having your Wikipedia page deleted would “erase” you from “history” then you have probably not left much of a mark. I don’t know the guy, but I somehow suspect that his books will not spontaneously combust if his Wikipedia article is deleted, nor is he likely to fade from photographs ala Back To The Future. My webcomic’s Wikipedia page was deleted years ago, and yet the comic went on existing! Defiantly! Then it got rolled into my article, (and having just looked it up, apparently it got undeleted or recreated or whatever. Eh, the wiki giveth and the wiki taketh away. Impact on my day to day life is nonexistent.)

11. Or even simpler: slice, then dress lightly with a little vaguely-balsamic vinaigrette and a little mild olive oil. (Not one of the really aromatic ones — the tomato flavor should lead.)

    @9: I have some sympathy for the idea that someone who gets 10 books published() is in some sense notable. But the sock-puppetry and the outright lies (e.g., Jemisin selling mere hundreds of copies) suggest that mere reason can’t justify keeping the page; I suppose it’s characteristic of Puppies that they don’t recognize when they’re shooting themselves in their feet.
    () even by Baen, which I have seen is not ruled solely by politics — IIUC, they turned down David Friedman’s 2nd book because the 1st didn’t do well enough.

12. (22) Are there any particular reasons why you might not have eaten more tomatoes in the past? (Bad experiences with tomato dishes previously, for example.) I wouldn’t want to recommend anything that won’t work for you.

    … but I see the gun has been well and truly jumped. I was going to link to my favourite shakshuka recipe… here. It’ll be a bit spicier than Soon Lee’s, though not necessarily hotter depending on your choice of chillies. For me it’s the caraway seeds that make this the best shakshuka I’ve tried.

13. @Soon Lee @Master Dalliard thanks for the shakshuka recipes!

14. (9) Thanks for the link 🙂

    There’s a similar (less heated) discussion about the page of tank-related marmot. File770 gets a mention but unfortunately, blogs and fanzine coverage doesn’t count for Wikipedia 🙁

15. If, as the Williamson socks suggest, N.K. Jemisin has only sold “a few hundred copies” then I must be a much more significant share of the market than I thought. To date, I have sold 574 Jemisin titles. Therefore my sales must be a statistically significant sample of the total SF book market and we can determine exact notability of any author from the sales in this one small shop.

    So that’s 574 Jemisin, 127 M.Z. Williamson, 8 Tank Marmot.

    Where shall we draw the line for Wikiworthiness?

16. (12) Colin Ferguson (Eureka for the win!) was also a creepy villain on Haven.

17. This discussion is making me want to go to the farmers market tomorrow.

    My favorite is the tomato sandwich like oor Wombat’s, though I prefer whole wheat bread. Sometimes I add pepper. Variants include using cream cheese instead of mayo, and/or adding a slice of cheese for protein. I use very fat slices of tomato, and sometimes make the sandwiches open face. This way I may be able to use an entire tomato just for me without eating so much bread I make myself sick.

    In Scandinavia I noticed that sandwiches often had slices of cucumber on them, which I liked, so adding that is another option, especially if you’re not a lettuce fan. (Many lettuces, and raw spinach, give me indigestion. No, I have no idea why. The same greens cooked are fine.)

18. 22)
    My go-to recipe for too many tomatoes in summer is tomato basil risotto. Chop up an onion, some garlic and lots of tomatoes and through them into a pan with olive oil, rice, stock (vegetable, chicken, whatever you prefer) and white wine (leave out, if you prefer an alcohol-free version)and let the risotto cook. Season to taste with salt, pepper and thyme. When it’s done, add some shredded basil leaves and parmesan.

    Another good use for tomatoes is caprese salad (which isn’t really salad IMO). Layer sliced tomatoes and sliced mozarella chesse on a plate, top with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and balsamico and season with salt and pepper.

    I also like chopping fresh tomatoes and adding them to pasta along with other goodies such as olives, capres, pickled peppers, anchovies, whatever you like. Drizzle some olive oil into the pasta or add a dollop of herb butter, season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. If you can find it, add a spoonful of ajvar (spicy pepper paste from the Balkans). Toss and eat.

    Finally, Napoleon Bonaparte’s favourite dish/good luck meal, Chicken Marengo, is also a great use for fresh tomatoes, though you can also use canned ones. There are a lot of recipes floating around. I like this one, though I also add a shot of brandy. If you prefer an alcohol-free version, you can also leave it out.

19. (22) In my opinion, the platonic ideal of the tomato dish is: slice, sprinkle with truffle salt, eat. One may, if one wishes, accompany them with avocados and fresh mozzarella similarly treated. This method is ideal with sun-warmed ultra-ripe tomatoes freshly picked from one’s own garden, but will enhance any properly ripe tomato.

20. 12) Let’s not forget Vaughan Bodē’s collaboration with Roger Zelazny on children’s stories Way Up High and Here There Be Dragons. (To get the ē I use & #275;.)

    9) Williamson does have the ghost of a case. One of his books has 5611 owners on Goodreads and another has 415 owners on LibraryThing. It’s not epic but it’s better than nothing, and I suspect that it would not be difficult to find lower-scoring writers whose significance is beyond dispute.

21. Oops, forgot to add the recipe link for the tomato basil risotto, courtesy of the New York Times. Sometimes, recipes get hit by the NY Times pay wall, so if you can’t see it, let me know.

    And I must definitely make Chicken Marengo sometime soon.

22. On a more somber note, reliable sources on facebook are reporting that well-known British filker Zanda Myrande[1] is hospitalized in what is expected to be a permanent vegetative state due to intra-cranial bleeding from a fall. Zanda may be most widely known for the fannish anthem “Sam’s Song” which I have never successfully either listened to or sung along to without crying.

    [1] Formerly writing as Zander Nyrond — trying to find the balance here between respecting present identity and clearly identifying relevance.

23. 12) Tom Robbins is 87? I’d figured mid-seventies. I can’t decide whether hisEven Cowgirls Get The Blues or The Rocky Horror Picture Show was more influential/accurate about the delightful/decadent seventies, but between them, it was pretty much all in there. I think. I’m a little vague on some of the details.

24. I just blogged about Comic Con and Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and am slowly coming down from my overstimulation high. Soooo much shiny stuff. The only cosplayer from (6) I encountered was Jessica Rabbit, who was splendidly three-dimensional. I also ran into a couple of nice Aquamen and a Snake Plissken (thought he was dead). And an impressive array of Deadpools including a Samurai, a boy scout and a princess.

    As far as tomatoes, either caprese them or add them to a sandwich, burger or burrito.

25. #22 & @Soon Lee, et al.: I love Caprese! I recommend #22 try it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, though, and ditch the salt and black pepper. Basil leaves optional. 😉 [ETA: Some restaurants do a great balsamic something-or-other that’s thick and almost syrupy. A reduction? Y-u-m.]

    Try truffle oil instead of olive oil. Or avocado oil (but see below!).

    Or really, try it with your favorite dressing (use a light hand!), especially a vinaigrette of some sort; try a little on the Caprese. Variety!

    I strongly second @Heather Rose Jones’s suggestion of avocado + tomato + mozzarella (with the same variety of condiments/etc. of your choice, IMHO). Really this is the ultimate! Okay why don’t we have this in our fridge, waiting for me. ;-( I could really go for this right now.

    Oh and tomatoes are (depending on the type) great to eat just all by themselves. I love tomatoes!

    P.S. Seriously, this comment thread is making me hungry.

26. #22–Back home, when tomatoes started to take over because everyone always plants too many, we used them up in two basic ways. Either just sliced and garnished with either salt (my dad) or sugar (mom and I) or our special favorite–as BLTs because home grown tomatoes make the best sandwiches and when you’ve got a hankering, it’s quick.

27. If the reason you have an excess of tomatoes is because you have them in your garden, then you must try fried green tomatoes, and I am jealous of you. Sometimes I see a few in the grocery store and I snatch them up.

28. There’s also fried tomatoes. Some people use very unripe, very green tomatoes. Firm ripe tomatoes can be used. My preference is light green, starting to blush just a bit. I mix yellow cornmeal, a bit of white flour, salt and pepper. Dip sliced tomatoes in milk, then in the dry breading mix, then fry on both sides till golden brown. I usually fry some bacon first and do the tomatoes in the bacon grease. Might put a few drops of hot sauce on them too.

29. I think my two bets tomato recipes are “a salad” and “a soup, with garlic”. Although the soup essentially relies on a passata, so one would have to make the passata first (it MAY be doable with just peeled tomatoes, I guess).

    Tomato side salad:
    Ingredients:
    * Tomatoes
    * Cucumber
    * Mozzarella
    * (optional) onion
    * a decent olive oil
    * (optional) salt & pepper

    Preparation:
    Slice tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella (and if you choose to use it, onion) into somewhat thin slices. Alternate them in an attractive curve along the edge of the plate the food will be serverd on. If you want salt and/or pepper, sprinkle that over the top. Gently drizzle some olive oil over the side salad. Now plate the main course on the plate, with an attractive side salad arranged on the edge.

    Tomato and garlic soup:
    Ingredients:
    * Tomato
    * Garlic
    * Stock

    Starting fro fresh tomatoes, you need to peel them. This basically means “dip them in boiling water, for a few seconds, then into cold water, then peel the skin off” [citation needed, never done this, but I think that’s how it’s done]. Chop then somewhat fine, drop them into a pot, add about as much stock as you have tomato. Add garlic to taste (recommendation is ~1 clove per 100 ml of liquid), the garlic cloves should be peeled, but not cut up.

    Let this simmer for 4-6 hours, adding stock to top up liquid as the water is reduced out.

    Season to taste. If yo want to use basil, it shouldn’t go in until soon before serving (3-15 minutes, I guess), as you’d otherwise mostly destroy the flavour by letting the precious aromatics leave with the steam.

30. For those who like really obscure trivia: the late David Hedison may have been best known for other things, but he was also Felix Leiter in the James Bond movies.

    In fact (here’s the obscure trivia), he was the first actor to play the role of Felix Leiter twice. Previously, a different actor had been cast every time the character appeared. He was Leiter in the 8th Bond movie, Live and Let Die (1971), and then again in the 16th entry in the series, Licence To Kill (1989).

31. @Ingvar – yep, dipping in boiling and then cold water works. Best before doing that to gently cut a little cross in the skin at the top. Then it gives you little flaps by which you can peel the skin away. After that I usually cut away the liquid and seeds from inside, then proceed with just the flesh, chopped finely as you say.

32. 22) You don’t really want to do too much to tomatoes when they’re good, but Edouard de Pomiane’s Tomates a la Polonaise is a good way to get the best out of the bad varieties and/or slightly unripe ones:

    Cut the tomatoes in two. Melt some butter in a frying pan. Add an onion, finely minced. Put the tomatoes face downwards in the pan. Cook on a hot fire for 5 minutes. Turn. Pierce the skin with a fork. Cook for 5 minutes. Salt, pepper. Pour three ounces of cream between the tomatoes. Heat. Let the creamy sauce come to the boil. Serve.

    And this Chinese recipe for eggs with tomatoes (via Fuscia Dunlop) is an excellent light dish, though you do really need a wok:

    ripe tomatoes 2, similar in volume to the eggs
    eggs 2
    salt
    cooking oil 4 tbsp
    caster sugar ½ tsp
    potato flour ½ tsp mixed with 2 tsp water (optional)

    Cut each tomato in half, then into sections the size of tangerine segments. Beat the eggs evenly together with a little salt.

    Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a seasoned wok over a high flame. Add the beaten eggs and swirl them around. Use a wok scoop or a ladle to nudge the edges of the egg towards the centre, so the uncooked egg can run out. As soon as the egg has set (it may be a little golden), remove it from the wok.

    Return the wok to the high flame with the final 1 tbsp oil if you need it. Tip in the tomatoes and stir-fry until they are hot and smell cooked and delicious, adding the sugar and salt to taste. Then return the eggs to the wok and mix everything together. Add the potato flour mixture, if using, and serve.

    The potato starch at the end really makes a difference, and I recommend it.

33. My go-to for farmer’s market tomatoes is bruschetta on farmer’s market bread. Because I have a vegan son who needs extra calories the bruschetta includes half a can of white beans, marinated for a few hours in the chopped tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and some pickled eggplant, salt, pepper and chopped black olives. (The olives are optional but you need the eggplant — some enzyme in it breaks down the skins of the beans and makes them lovely and silky.) The other half of the can is pureed with olive oil, salt, pepper and raw garlic and spread onto the toasted bread before applying the tomato mixture.

34. Spicy tomato soup with ham and cheese

    2 cans of crushed tomatoes
    Finely hacked chili
    2 meat extract cubes in 5 dl water
    200g processed cheese
    100g diced ham
    2-3 garlic cloves
    Black pepper

    Boil tomatoes, meat broth, cheese and chili 15 min. Mix with stick blender. Pour in garlic, ham and pepper. Boil 10 min. Done.

35. I don’t know how to make them – and I don’t care! but ymmv.

    I was introduced to stewed tomatoe for breakfast while staying at a B&B in York.

    At least it processes tomatoes – whether you eat them or not, as they’re not fit for anything but throwing after being made.

36. (22) Shakshuka. This is delicious. And I don’t like tomatoes.

37. (9) Hmmm, the guy’s a tool, and one I would cross the street to avoid, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to be mentioned. I don’t really understand the Wikipedia criteria some wikipedians think significant. There never seems to be anyone policing the pages for one term state senators from Montana in 1877, which I consider infinitely less notable than C-list authors.

38. Nickpheas:

    Let me point you to the relevant policies in a comment on Camestros blog. But I agree that they seem a bit harsh.

39. Hampus
    Yes, I get the rules they’re using for authors (and under them MZW is certainly marginal), what I don’t really understand is why authors need such strict notability guidelines, while minor nineteenth century politicians are welcome. Compare this guy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asa_Hodges

    Is it an attempt to prevent current authors from astroturfing their pages for advertising?

40. @Ingvar: red onion for the salad, yes?

    9) I am not surprised to see my current activities have no mention on Wikipedia, but I am amused to see the fantasy fan-insert novel (featuring Ingvar as one of its more prominent protagonists) I co-wrote with a friend still has a page up, and that’s definitely more obscure than a published author.

41. @Heather Rose Jones: Sad news. I love “Sam’s Song” though it makes me almost as tearful as “Somebody Will” does.

42. 22) Farmer’s market tomatoes are a better choice. They have flavor. Grocery store bought tomatoes are one of those items that can be improved by adding catsup/

43. Now I want fresh tomatoes. Time for a visit to the farm stand!

44. 22) And now a contribution Alton Brown’s Tomato Bacon Lettuce Panzanella recipe. You can use all grape tomatoes or small heirlooms substitute for the pear tomatoes .
    It is a bit of work, but it’s delicious and every time I’ve made it for groups, the bowl gets cleared out fast.

45. @ O. Westin: Ideally, shallots. Red, if you have them. White/yellow if not. If you want more colour, you can substitute chopped spring onion or chives for the onion slices (but, at that point, they may look better added on top, just before the salt, pepper, and oil).

46. 22) I would also like to throw in a vote for tomato sandwiches. You don’t need the B or the L, just the T is great with a little mayo, some salt, and plenty of cracked pepper. Enjoy!

47. Our family makes tomato sandwiches on German bread, such as a light rye or the sechskorn, with a little bit of butter (Mom says when she was a kid she used bacon fat), and on top of the tomatoes some green onion or shallot, salt, and pepper. We’ve been eating them nearly every night. I love tomato season!

48. 9) Let them fight.

49. Those just-beginning-to-turn tomatoes – I’ve heard it called the “white” stage, because they’re not really green in color – can be turned into pie. Look for recipes for “mock mincemeat”. It’s surprisingly tasty. (Granny made green-tomato pie once. Had raisins in it, but she didn’t use written recipes much. At nearly 90, she had them memorized.)

50. Buying tomatoes? I thought you just got them from people with gardens leaving their surplus on your doorstep in the dark of night. Admittedly tomatoes are more useful than zucchini, but by late summer everyone has too many tomatoes.

    July 22 was James Hopper’s birthday. Not genre, but I’m guessing his Nighthawks would be in the Top 10 of Paintings Redone with Genre Characters.

    It was also the birthday of James Whale who directed Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man.

    And it’s Orson Bean’s birthday, who I remember from the panel of To Tell the Truth, but he was also Mr. Bevis in an episode of The Twilight Zone and voiced both Bilbo and Frodo in the Rankin/Bass Tolkien animation.

    Kiss the file goodbye and scroll me to tomorrow.

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