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Researching Whoopie Pies in Pennsylvania Dutch country reminded me of Seattle's own regional fare, Nanaimo Bars. When I moved to Seattle I first learned about Nanaimo Bars, a sweet, three-layer, no-bake treat that is said to have originated in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The bottom layer is a chocolaty, graham cracker and coconut crust. The middle is a creamy custard. And at the top is a thick layer of chocolate.

Not that long ago, Nanaimo Bars were all over the area, from the downtown Nordstrom, to the suburban Fred Meyer, to the neighborhood Bert's Red Apple Market. But over the past year they have quietly disappeared. Today I head to Bert's in Madison Park when I'm in need of a fix, where they carry the classic chocolate, as well as mint and peanut butter variations.

If you have no Bert's, with this Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook recipe, you can make classic Nanaimo Bars yourself. And if you have other favorite regional fare, please share them with me!

Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

First Layer

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 25 crackers)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Second Layer

2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons custard powder (Bird's or Westco brand brand preferred)

Third Layer

2/3 cup (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Directions:

1. First prepare the baking dish. Line a 7 x 11 x 2 inch glass baking dish with 2 strips of parchment paper, each about 8 inches wide and 16 inches long. Let the excess overhang the sides, forming a sling for easy lifting and removal of the layered block from the dish.

2. To make the first layer, in a large bow, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cocoa powder, egg whites, cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts and mix thoroughly. Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

3. To make the second layer, in a bowl, using a sturdy spoon, combine the powdered sugar, butter, cream and custard powder, stirring until smooth and fluffy. The mixture should be fairly stiff. Spread evenly on top of the first layer. Place in the refrigerator while making the third layer.

4. To make the third layer, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler or a saucepan. Place the chocolate and butter in the top of the double boiler or in a heatproof bowl placed over the pan of water. heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate and butter melt. Using the back of a spoon, spread the warm chocolate topping evenly over the second layer and refrigerate until cold.

5. To serve, grasp the ends of the parchment and lift out the layered block from the dish. Using a sharp knife, cut into abut 24 bars. Cover and refrigerate leftover bars for up to 3 days.

Makes 24 bars

Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook, Michael Northern, Chronicle Books, 2003

--Tracy Schneider

As a kid, I was blessed with a marvelous picture-book library (mostly due to the generosity of my children's librarian aunt). My best-loved volumes live on in my living room, where I enjoy sharing them with wee guests. But I recently became aware of a gap in my collection--I had a serious hankering for The Big Orange Splot, which arrived on my scene in the late '70s and somehow got lost in my shuffle to adulthood. Happily, an Amazon package landed on the porch yesterday, reuniting me with Mr. Plumbean.

This particular splot was the work of a seagull, who--out of malice? carelessness? exhaustion? it's not clear--dropped a can of orange paint on Mr. Plumbean's house, blighting his "neat street" and drawing sympathy from his neighbors. But the splot snapped something in Mr. Plumbean, and rather than repaint his house back to drab, he painted--under cover of night--until his house was "like a rainbow. It was like a jungle. It was like an explosion. There was the big orange splot.... And there were pictures of elephants and lions and pretty girls and steamshovels." Then come the palm trees, boababs, and prangipani. Then a hammock and an alligator (chained and lounging).

When the neighbors' shouting doesn't phase him and an appointed representative arrives to talk sense, they sip lemonade all night, while Mr. Plumbean says things like, "My house is me and I am it. My house is where I like to be, and it looks like all my dreams." As his neighbors (one by one) experience his place, they return home to transform their own space into manifestations of their own weird, wonderful imaginations.

This is not a beautiful book--the drawings look like they were done with those nicely smelly markers, possibly by a skilled 8-year-old. The idea that Mr. Plumbean could transform his home (complete with clock tower) and plant an entire garden in under a week is clearly preposterous. But I missed this story so much I had to have it back--in the durable School & Library Binding format, no less--because my husband and I have spent the last five or so years giving ourselves pep talks and spending all our "free" moments building, painting, and planting. Because our house is us and we are it. Our house is where we like to be, and it looks like all our dreams. (See what they look like on HGTV's Gardening by the Yard on August 16, if you don't mind getting up at 7:30 a.m.) --Mari

(via John Green's Twitter)

As BTP mentioned in today's Omni Daily News, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters emerges from the deep September 15.

Quick links...
Jacket Whys highlights the efficacy of crime tape on YA book covers.

Harlequin Teen is open for business. First up: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent. Shelf Awareness dedicated a special issue today to Harlequin Teen, with a preview of the romance to come in 2010.

Lizzie Skurnick reminds faithful Fine Lines readers that Shelf Discovery, her book based on the column, will be out July 21.

Happy reading.--Heidi

Instead, this demo-packed day at camp featured non-stop sweet and savory treats, accompanied by tons of tips from Douglas and other polished chefs on cooking like a pro at home.

This is the third annual summer camp, a five-day feast that draws participants from as far away as New Hampshire. Each day, teams face off in Iron Chef-style cooking challenges and get schooled on a slew of inspiring preparations.

Of course, the team of chefs made it look so easy, but I'm going to try re-creating Lola chef Brock Johnson's Somen Noodles with Shrimp Ball Soup, Boat Street Cafe's Renee Erickson's Roasted Cherry Tomato Flan and the ultra-rich duck egg ravioli Tom Douglas made during his epic duck demo. (Which also included the same slow-roasted five spice duck I love eating at Dahlia Lounge and seared duck breast with a huckleberry barbecue sauce.)

Here's the top five things I learned:

1. Duck fat has less cholesterol than butter, so go ahead and fry up some potatoes in it.

2. If you're going to smoke meats with apple wood, it should go on toward the end because it's such a "sappy" wood.

3. When you grind meat to make sausage, it should be cold so the fat gets evenly distributed.

4. Soy sauce and fish sauce taste fresher if you store them in the fridge. (This is probably obvious, but not a rule I've followed. So, now I know why my fish sauce stinks up my cupboard.)

5. Add fresh tarragon leaves at the very end when steaming mussels to maintain its color and flavor.

It was certainly a delicious, filling day. I can't wait for next year.

Until then, here's some "homework", the recipe for Tom's Duck-Fried Jo-Jo's:

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into wedges

6 tablespoons rendered duck fat (or substitute 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter)

Kosher salt, black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cut potatoes in bowl with duck fat and toss. Season generously with salt and pepper.

2. Divide the potatoes between two metal baking sheets, spreading them out in a single layer with one of the flat sides of the wedges facing down. Put pans in the oven, one on each rack.

3. When potatoes are golden brown on the side facing the pan after 15-20 minutes, use a metal spatula to turn each potato over the other flat side. Don't turn them until they're brown and use a spatula to get all the crusty golden part as you turn. Continue to roast until the second side is golden, about 10-12 minutes, then use a spatula to turn each potato so it's sitting on the rounded side or bottom of the wedge. Roast about 5-8 minutes more. (Total roasting time is about 35-40 minutes.)

4. Remove from pan. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Pile on a platter and serve.

Serves 6-8

--Leslie Kelly

Mainstream superhero comics are a balancing act. As decades-old institutions, they cannot upset the fanbase by making drastic changes. Yet, the stories they tell have to remain new enough to keep audiences interested. Outside of special edition gift sets or collections, it's rare for readers to see a radical shift in the way their favorite stories are presented.

Last week, however, DC Comics went radical. In an effort to shake up the market, they introduced a 12-week project called Wednesday Comics. Now, DC is no stranger to the weekly periodical. A few years ago, they began a 52-week, successful project aptly titled 52. They followed 52 with another weekly project, Countdown to Final Crisis.

What sets Wednesday Comics apart is its format: it's a full-sized newspaper.  It begins roughly the same size as a regular comic [see size comparison to a recent issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer], but folds out to something unprecedented on the shelf. It is a 15-page, full color, star-studded, throwback celebration.

Each page is its own individual chapter, to be continued every week. And each chapter is written and illustrated by top talent: the Eisner Award-winning duo of 100 Bullets, Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, teams up again for their take on Batman, John Arcudi (BPRD) and Lee Bermejo (The Joker) on Superman (which will be simultaneously serialized on USAToday.com), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen) and Ryan Sook on Kamandi, comics’ legendary father and son team, Adam and Joe Kubert, on Sgt. Rock, and then there’s Mike Allred (Madman) with The Neil Gaiman on Metamorpho.

That’s about half of the contributors. And on this large of a scale, the stories and artwork are immersive. Paul Pope’s Strange Adventures is probably my favorite from Issue #1. His panels make great use of these new dimensions—when Adam Strange blasts off, his trajectory has ample room on the page.

When the project launched last week, I snagged the last copy of Wednesday Comics in my local store. The demand was much larger than expected, and, for readers without a nearby shop, a few third-party merchants are already selling issues #1 and #2 on our site.

When done right, a project like this exceeds beyond simple gimmickry. Wednesday Comics is an event, and it's only getting started.

--Alex

For those who take their classics with a side of ultraviolence, the recently-announced Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (the latest from the folks who brought you Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) is a required read for its exploration of the triumphs, tragedies, and struggles against murderous aquatic life.  If you've ever wondered why Jane Austen's sharp narrative never included rampaging plesiosaurs, consider your search for the perfect book over.

In this version, sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood find themselves looking for true love on a strange island of savage beasts.  While the sensible Elinor follows a traditional path of courtship, the rash Marianne finds herself enveloped by the literal tentacles of a vicious love triangle.  Will either find the happiness their souls yearn for?  Or are they doomed to become Kraken-food?

Love in this monster mash-up means never having to say "I'm sorry...I don't know how to swim."  

--Dave

Love Is a Many-Tentacled Thing: The creators of the breakout bestseller, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, are back with another Jane Austen-monster mash-up: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (available September 15)

I'm Batman: Neil Gaiman talks about writing Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? [NPR]

So Many Books...: Syracuse Post-Standard book reporter Laura T. Ryan looks back on an 11-year-career of conversations with writers. [Shelf Life]

Moving & Shaking: Just in time for next Monday's 40th anniversary of the moon landing (and thanks to a review today in the Washington Post), Richard Platt's children's book, Moon Landing takes one giant leap onto our Movers & Shakers list.

--BTP

Ear infections are a common condition in dogs and to a lesser extent cats. The two most common types of ear infections are otitis externa (infection of the external ear canal) and otitis media (infection of the middle ear). Certain breeds are dogs are more prone to ear infections due to their lifestyle or the structure of their ear canals. Those dogs with very long floppy ears or very hairy ears seem to get infections more frequently. Most ear infections are easily treated, but if left untreated, they can result in serious damage and pain.

Ear infections are often secondary to other factors. Wax accumulation, matted hair, foreign bodies, allergies, mites, or tumors can all predispose an animal to ear infections. Signs of an infection include shaking the head, scratching the ears, or displaying a head tilt. There is often excess discharge from the ears, they may be red and inflamed, as well as may have an offensive odor.

A good ear exam will involve the veterinarian using an otoscope – an instrument that provides light and magnification-to view the ear canal. A video otoscope can be used for further visibility as well as to allow you to actually see inside the ear as well. Using the otoscope, the veterinarian can determine if the ear drum is intact and if any foreign material is in the canal. The next step is to take a sample or smear of material from the ear canal to be viewed under a microscope. This is called a cytology and allows the veterinarian to determine the organism causing the infection and thus determine proper treatment.

On some occasions, sedation may be required to either remove foreign material or to cleanse the ear canal. Middle ear infections may require further diagnostics as well. Treatment may be required for two weeks up to two months depending on the type of infection, the portion of the ear infected, and the severity of the infection. The key is to be sure to treat until the infection is fully resolved or it will simply “return”. Once the infection has resolved, your veterinarian can advise you on simple preventative measures to help reduce the chances of further infections. Pets with chronic ear problems will require life-long preventative measures to ensure their comfort and good health.

If you believe your pet may be suffering from an ear infection, please call your veterinarian today to schedule an exam.

Photo courtesy of Northern Merigold's photostream.

--Dr. Hinson
---------------------
Dr. Hinson is a mixed animal veterinarian in Tampa, FL and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Today we got some new toys in the office and we just can't put them down.  Thankfully I have my little Flip camera with me all the time so I could share the fun with you... (Click here to watch if you can't see the video)

You can see Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. Strong, Mr. Bump, and Little Miss Chatterbox and more here. Those are cute and all, but Mr. Rude stole our little hearts. Check him out here:

"Excuse *you*!"

--Laura McMullan

It's not like there was ever much doubt that Apple would follow through on what was a pretty clear threat last month to limit the Palm Pre's iTunes access, or that Palm knew the move was coming, which it just what happened with the iTunes 8.2.1 update. Such is the way of things in the market I guess, but still it seems kind of silly.

I'm no anti-trust attorney, but I'm willing to bet that it is Apple's right to do whatever they want with their software app. I'm also willing to bet that the right people over at Palm have had various pieces of code queued up for a good long while and are now re-working those into a patch as I tap away in order to get their Pre users back iTunes functionality ASAP. Pity the poor Pre users who actually use iTunes in that they are caught up in this cat-and-mouse affair. I suppose it could be said that they just could have gone with an iPhone if they are so inclined, but Apple could have also have just belittled the Pre as a device lacking support. Oops, I suppose that is what they just did. Still, as long as their own devices continue to sell like hotcakes it seems like Apple wouldn't care that much who was spending money at the iTunes store, just as long as money was being spent.

Regardless, looks Apple gave the Pre a little less than a month before they pulled the iTunes plug. Any guesses on how long it is before the Palm Pre patch releases to get them back on? Something tells me that it will be significantly less than a month. As amusing as the old cat and mouse treatment can be, if I were in the Palm Pre boat I'd be looking more and more at other content options, because they surely are looking at you too.

--Tom Milnes

Maybe it's the continued, or at least the assumed continued popularity of Netbooks and more importantly the fact of the use of Web-enabled devices for business purposes. Maybe it's Google's entry into the OS market with Chrome, as well as its and Sun's head start in the Web apps business. Maybe its just another sign of Microsoft's intent to stake a major claim to a cloud computing future. Whatever it is, the folks over in Redmond are in the process of shifting some well-established gears regarding cash cow Microsoft Office.

As part of an otherwise standard PR announcement at the Worldwide Partner Conference touting the changes being built into Microsoft Office 2010, due out next June, it was also noted that Web editions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote, will be available to anyone with a Windows LIVE account. Of course, you can also buy the full suite if you really want to. It's hard to say how many personal users will actually do that since as usual, when faced with an Office update, the current version continues to work fine. Corporate users, now that is a different story since many of these will upgrade to the full version just as a matter of course, yet they will have access to Web versions of tools as well. But we are talking vital work tools like spreadsheets, word processing and good old .ppt here. Again, although accepting the rise of hardware with lessened processing power, who in their right mind would want to store work docs in an anonymous Microsoft data center, and only have access to them via the Internet? Pretty much nobody who could avoid it. So, as part of a full install, users can choose to have Microsoft host data or they can keep it on their own servers, and even have access to hybrids configurations. Sounds like an okay deal for companies willing to pay for it, others comfortable with Web storage of their docs and casual users who want to do a spell check I suppose. Either way the reality is that Microsoft is willing to leverage a prominent tool in its arsenal to get at the markets growing in the clouds down the road. So, is the competition worried? Google was first to market and doubtless knew this challenge was coming, so apparently not. According to a statement released on Monday, and making the rounds online,

"We welcome Microsoft's movement to the cloud," continuing, "Choice is good for users, and their direction further validates that the future of computing is in the cloud."

There you have it. A mainstream war for the clouds is on, with the included joint agenga of the combatants as a whole of instilling a sense of confidence in the consumer at-large that virtual storage is safe and the place your data should be. I don't know about the later point, but barring compatibility issues between documents and the continued layering of accessible and cheap Wi-Fi networks at every turn, Microsoft may have a dog in the fight for the clouds at least. Like I said, Office 2010 is scheduled for a June 2010 release with Web versions of some of its components compatible with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Apple's Safari. Hopefully there will also be no major hurdles accessing these from popular handhelds.

--Tom Milnes

Coldplay's appearance at The Gorge, Saturday, July 11 featured a concert within a concert. At one point, the ever-working mega band belted from the main stage, up to this tiny platform at the beginning of the grass section. Tracked by two long-throw spot-lights they offered some unplugged goodies, including a rendition of Jackson's Billie Jean. The homage to the King of Pop was treated no differently, from most of the Coldplay super-hits and the audience sang along with gusto.

For a band that's done an unbroken stretch of 130+ shows, I have to admit they sounded very "there." At the end of one of the hottest days of the year, so far, I don't think anyone would argue if I gave the  MVP award to the sunset.  Truly spectacular, as it often is in this part of the world, adding another dimension to this brand of euphoric anthem rock.  Mother Nature did all the mind-altering that was needed. -- Hugo Munday

So I have some exciting news.  I am headed off to Breyerfest 2009 in Lexington, KY to blog about all the cool events and horse happenings at this year's 20th Anniversary festival! I will be covering the fest this weekend and blogging remotely to tell you all about the horse shows, crafts, charity auction, horse racing, and other events that I will be checking out in the Lexington area.  I was a huge Breyer Horse fan when I was a kid so I am just a tiny bit excited...ok, very excited, to relive a little bit of that magic.

and...in big news for my four year old who will be coming along for the "ride" (harrdy-har-har), Hannah Montana's horse Blue Jeans will be in attendance.  Oh yes, who is the coolest mom now? That's right- me.

You can follow Breyerfest on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or on the Breyerfest site *and* here at ToyWhimsy.com!

--Laura McMullan

Here's a wonderful grocery store find. It's called "Seasoning". That's right, Seasoning. What kind of seasoning? Yes.

Look for it at your local market next to bottles of "Sweetener", "Sauce", and "Food".

--Spanno

How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life.

David Colborne: It's difficult to understate the importance of the Reliant. It single-handedly revived a moribund franchise, one which made some truly disastrous decisions in the late '70s. It made its parent brand interesting again--sure, the quality wasn't as high as some of the competition out there, and you could tell that the Reliant and its contemporary kin were put together on a budget, but it was still far better executed than anything that preceded it. It wasn't as slow, as heavy, nor as ponderous as its predecessors--in short, it proved that somebody finally got "it." Were it not for Reliant, the Star Trek movie franchise would have died, never to return.

Oh, you thought I was talking about the K-car, didn't you?

It was only the fact of my genetically engineered intellect that allowed us to survive.

Chris Hafner: In the early 1980s, two American institutions, the Chrysler Corporation and the Star Trek franchise, were teetering at the precipice of failure and irrelevance. Chrysler, perennially a distant third among the Big Three domestic car manufacturers, was on the verge of bankruptcy and had been forced into the indignity of groveling for its solvency in the form of loan guarantees from the federal government. The company badly needed a big hit to repay those loans and to assure its future.

Likewise, while Star Trek had created an enthusiastic fan following with the famous TV show and lightly-watched animation series in the late 1960s and early 1970s, by the beginning of the 1980s its future was in doubt. Based on the fan loyalty inspired by the original series, Paramount had spent $46 million to produce the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture. That movie, dubbed "The Motionless Picture" by the cruel and cynical, made money but was critically panned and sucked the energy out of the franchise. Given the cancellation of the original show after only three seasons and the relative lack of success of the animated series and the movie, the enthusiasm for more Star Trek appeared to be at a nadir. It would have been very logical to conclude that Star Trek was winding down its run.

As David intimates above, it was Reliant time. Chrysler's recovery depended on its 1981 launch of its pivotal K-car platform, represented most prominently by the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant. Star Trek's ongoing relevance hinged on the success of the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, starring Chrysler pitchman Ricardo Montalban and his commandeered starship, the USS Reliant.*

Sensors indicate a vessel in our area, closing fast. It's one of ours, Admiral ... it's Reliant.

CH: To a modern car enthusiast, the Plymouth Reliant, the focus of Chrysler's hopes in the early 1980s, doesn't look like a very likely home run. In fact, it barely looks like a bunt. To today's eyes, the K-car seems so generic, with its right angles, slab sides, and anonymous detailing, that it wouldn't look out of place painted stark white with the word "CAR" stenciled in large black lettering on the side. Ask a six-year-old to draw a car, and the result, rendered in crayon on construction paper, would look a great deal like the Reliant.

The Reliant wasn't fast, it didn't handle well, it didn't look especially good, it wasn't particularly innovative, and wasn't really that interesting in any way. It's hard to imagine that this was the car that saved Chrysler. But, as with all cars, it must be judged against its times and within its context.

As with all living things, each (will respond) according to his gifts.

 DC: Right--when the K-Car was first introduced in 1981, domestic small car competition was sparse.  AMC was done. GM released the infamous X-cars the previous year, which were rapidly proving to be unsafe and unreliable death traps. Ford, meanwhile, was preparing to replace the aging Pinto with the Escort, which, though not a terrible car, certainly wasn't any faster than a K-Car. On the Japanese front, the vaunted second-generation Honda Accord and the first Toyota Camry wouldn't come out for another year. The Corona, Toyota's mid-size of the era, wouldn't update its sheetmetal until 1983; in the meantime, it continued to use the same period body design first employed in 1978. Subaru was best known for making cheap, quirky, and moderately underpowered cars with optional four-wheel-drive. Volkswagen was only starting to recover from its identity crisis after the Beetle ran its long, winding course. Meanwhile, the weakness of the dollar was making domestics price-competitive again, and gas prices were about to hit historic highs. If Detroit was going to release a solid small car, this was definitely the time to do so.

Before Chrysler introduced the K-car, its last attempt at releasing a "small" car was such an unmitigated disaster that it helped lead to the company's precarious position. Needless to say, nobody expected Chrysler to actually execute well enough to capitalize on this perfect storm. Consequently, when the K-car came out, it caught everyone by surprise.

Here was a car that could legally seat six, yet was smaller and more fuel efficient than a Ford Fairmont--heck, on paper, it was the most fuel efficient six-seater in the country. Like the GM X-cars, it was front-wheel-drive; unlike the X-cars, it didn't immediately lock the real wheels into a spirograph of death whenever you hit the brakes. Power was adequate if unremarkable for the time. It was certainly more powerful than an Escort and could push 0-60 times to 13-15 seconds, well within the acceptable range for smaller cars of the time. The looks were plain, which was a clear upgrade over the avocado-flavored styling of the Aspen. Reliability, though still not great, was better; fortunately, as far as small cars went, the K-cars were relatively easy to work on. Best of all, it didn't rust away on sight--finally, here was a Chrysler that could rust away in dignity during the dead of night! 

Meanwhile, the K-cars wrote a page that Hyundai and Kia would copy with significant success; the K-car was sold cheaply and came with a 5-year/50,000-mile warranty at a time when a three-year warranty was typically an extra-cost option.

I don't believe in the no-win scenario ... I don't like to lose.

CH: David's description is spot-on--the K-car could have been an absolute disaster, a no-win scenario to rival the Kobayashi Maru simulation, but the result was a solid winner. The Reliant/Aries was the first American car to really nail the front-wheel-drive experience--it was spacious, efficient, and relatively reliable. It wasn't as early or as innovative as the GM X-cars, but the difference is that it worked. It looked like a compact car on the outside, and its outside dimensions certainly resembled those of compact cars; but the EPA was so impressed by its interior volume and true six-passenger capability that it deemed the K a mid-size car.

The Reliant was a real family car that worked well and helped introduce a generation of Americans to the merits of small, efficient front-wheel-drive cars with four-cylinder engines. It wasn't the first of the breed, or the best, but it helped lay the groundwork for virtually every modern family car that followed.

But, of course, the true importance of the Reliant and its K-car brethren stemmed from the fact that they formed the foundation for nearly every Chrysler product until the Viper arrived. I don't exaggerate; for more than a decade, the Chrysler lineup consisted almost entirely of K-car derivatives.

Somehow, Chrysler managed to overcome what I think of as the Lego Problem. When a kid grows up with a set of Legos, even the most creative child will produce creations that look a lot alike. I had the space station and jet airliner packs; no matter how I mixed and matched, it was hard to build anything dramatically different from my previous creations. Most of what I built looked like cars with airplane fuselages, or houses with space-station decor. When you're working with endless derivatives of the same parts, that's hard to avoid.

Chrysler took some ribbing for building virtually its entire product line off the combination of the K-car platform and the ubiquitous 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine, but it deserves credit for building such diversity from such a limited selection of fundamental pieces. From this basic set of building blocks, Chrysler built compact cars, a mid-size quasi-luxury car with abominably baroque styling and pie-like driving characteristics, an ersatz limousine, a revolutionary people-moving minivan, a sporty car to challenge the Mustang and Camaro, a remarkably attractive turbocharged convertible, a failure-infused Maserati-badged turbocharged convertible, and, in the Dodge Spirit R/T and Shelby CSX, small rectilinear quasi-supercars.

None of these cars were really the best in the business, but they were all competitive enough to collectively sell like hotcakes. Of course, that doesn't mean David has to like the K effect. ...

Don't mince words, Bones, what do you really think?

DC: Just as Paramount would repurpose its Reliant and the associated intellectual property well past the original's expiration date (between the century-long reuse of both the Miranda-class and Excelsior-class hulls, I'm thinking Iacocca lives on as Zombie Vice-Admiral of Federation Starship Development), Chrysler flogged the Reliant and its kin well past the point of appreciable sense.

The ship? Out of danger?

CH: David's exasperation aside with Reliant recycling aside, history has shown that both Star Trek and Chrysler recovered from their early-1980s crises and reached and even exceeded their former glory.

Movie-goers raved about The Wrath of Khan. Infused with deep, nuanced character interaction and development; fantastic acting all around, but particularly from Montalban; a genuinely threatening but still sympathetic villain in Khan; and underlying themes of friendship, mortality, and development, TWOK was a tour de force. The movie didn't just save the franchise, it lifted Star Trek to a new plateau of popularity. Paramount followed TWOK with 624 TV episodes in four separate series, each of which introduced a distinctive new chapter of the Trek story. Nine additional feature films followed, including this summer's smash hit.

Even now, 30 years later, most Star Trek fans consider it the finest of the Trek movies, containing some of the most defining and moving moments of the franchise. I'm not ashamed to admit that my movie room gets a little dusty when watching the titanic and emotional events in the last half-hour of the movie.

Chrysler's ascent back to glory was only slightly less dramatic. The Reliant and its K-car brethren sold more than 2.5 million examples during the K-car's nine-year run. Considering the ubiquity of the K-car architecture in the rest of Chrysler's product line over the years, the number of Aries/Reliants sold during that time is just a drop in the bucket when considering the platform's impact. In fact, the vast majority of Chrysler profits in subsequent years stemmed from cars based on the K architecture, especially the innovative K-based minivans.

Powered by the sales of the K-car and its variants, Chrysler paid back its government-backed loans in 1983, years ahead of schedule, netting the federal government a tidy $350 million profit. The newly profitable Chrysler then moved on to purchase faltering AMC; the acquisition netted Chrysler the hugely profitable Jeep line and, in the AMC-designed Eagle Premier, the foundation for its successful 1990s cab-forward Dodge Intrepid/Chrysler Concorde/Chrysler 300M/Eagle Vision LH sedans. The Viper, the LH sedans, and the Neon all subsequently drove success, profits, and a reputation as the most agile, most product-focused member of the Big 3. 

As with Star Trek, the success of the Reliant left Chrysler in a strong position that could have barely been imagined in the doldrums of 1980-1981.

Time is a luxury you don't have, Admiral.

CH: Time, of course, has a power and force of its own, and no success is permanent. From their highs in the 1990s, both Star Trek and Chrysler hit moribund states in the last few years. But, of course, that's another story for another time. Hopefully the Chrysler/Fiat union will mirror the success of the new Star Trek movie, and both the franchise and the brand will return to their former popularity.

You can't get away! From hell's heart I stab at thee ... for hate's sake ... I spit my last breath at thee!

CH: * Montalban's relationship with both Star Trek and Chrysler raises a very logical question--in naming Khan's ship Reliant, were the movie producers indulging in a sly reference to Montalban's famous Chrysler association? To this point, I have found no evidence that the producers named Khan's chariot after his corporate partner's most important car.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less likely I think it is that the link was intentional. After all, if the producers were dead set on naming Khan's starship after a K-car, wouldn't Aries have been the more logical choice? The word Aries refers to a constellation, after all, and is a homophone for Ares, the Greek god of warfare, bloodlust, and slaughter. That would have been perfect.

Besides, the association may not have been completely positive for Chrysler. Reliant became a cruel ship through the course of the movie, ambushing the Enterprise, radiating evil red light, and eventually perishing along with Khan. It's unlikely that any moviegoers in 1982 left the theater identifying with the Reliant and eager to head right to their local Plymouth dealership.

Either way, though, it's a crime that we never saw Montalban pitch the Plymouth Reliant. How is it possible that this never happened? Think of the possibilities, especially if Montalban had appeared in character, claiming that the "K" in K-car stands for "Khan" and threatening vengeance against his "old friends" at GM and Ford. Imagine the possibilities:

"On Earth, 300 years ago, I was a prince with power over millions; today, the Reliant befits my royalty and gives me control of 82 horsepower. It's a sedan, of course. Not quite domesticated. Not quite domesticated, to be sure. But in my judgment you simply have no alternative."

He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him! I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round Perdition's flames before I give him up! ...

CH: Speaking of obsessive insanity, in putting this piece together, both David and I found that we each have the same obsessive and insane Reliant-related fantasy. David?

DC: My ultimate fantasy is to take a Plymouth Reliant, paint it all white, give it Captain's Chair-style bucket seats in the front, add a spoiler with a middle pillar that looks suspiciously like a photon torpedo tube, get some custom plates that say "NCC1864", then add some decals on the hood. Oh, yeah. Revenge is a dish best served cold ... and it is very cold ... IN SPACE. ...

CH:I would probably keep mine a little closer to stock, but I'd at least consider placing nacelle stickers on the sides and installing a red dome light to mimic the USS Reliant's distinctive look. My goal would be to actually outgeek David with a custom license plate that reads "16309" to honor the Reliant's prefix code.

The pictures of the Reliant wagon and sedan come from the Reliant Wikipedia page. Allpar, which is as always the ultimate resource for Chrysler vehicles, is the source of the cut-aways of the car and the components. The screenshots from TWOK are all over the web.

--Chris H.

This Reliant ad is entertaining ("catch it ... if you can!"), but just imagine how much more entertaining it would have been with Montalban providing the voice talent:

Here's the first face-off between the USS Reliant and the USS Enterprise:

Here's a fantastic alternate version that proves that Khan can actually be quite reasonable:

And, as long as we're being fanciful, here's a wonderfully hilarious version of the Reliant encounter that actually pits two Enterprises and two captains against each other:

Did you know that you can microwave pappadums rather than fry them? An Indian flat bread made from lentil flour and traditionally fried, pappadums are a great accompaniment to Indian meals, fresh coriander chutney, and even seasonal salsas.

When I worked at Gourmet magazine more than fifteen years ago, I had the good fortune of working with Kemp Minifie. Kemp is now the Executive Food Editor for Gourmet. She's also one of those gregarious enthusiastic cooks who always has a good trick up her sleeve. 

One day long ago, Kemp and I were chatting. She told me that pappadums can alternatively be cooked in the microwave. I quickly glommed onto the concept, because I love pappadums but  I don't like to fry foods.

I was anxious to try Kemp's tip in my own small New York kitchen. So shortly thereafter,  I stopped by Kalustyan's on Lexington Avenue to purchase a packet of pappadums. Sure enough, the pappadums, after being cooked on high for 40 seconds or so, emerged from the microwave bubbly and puffy. Although they were a bit rubbery and pliable at first, they turned crackly crisp after cooling for about 10 seconds.

I'm glad I listened to Kemp long ago. This is a trick I've been using ever since. The pappadums offer the satisfying crunch of potato chips without all the fat. I keep a variety of flavors, such as plain, cumin, and garlic, in the pantry.  They are quick,  easy, and low in fat. And,  they are great with a cold Kingfisher beer.

Note: All microwaves differ so you may need to adjust the cooking time or reposition the pappadum after 40 seconds and cook for a few more seconds in order to ensure that the whole surface cooks and bubbles. Also, I have found that it's easiest to just cook one pappadum at a time.

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

--Melissa A. Trainer

 
(The stunning covers for the Age of Misrule series, art by John Picacio, design by Nicole Sommer-Lecht)

As we noted last week, Mark Chadbourn is a wonderfully talented fantasy writer just coming to the attention of a U.S. audience through his Age of Misrule series, which Pyr Books has released in three volumes spaced over the months of May, June, and July. Epic, substantial, and massively entertaining, World's End, Darkest Hour, and Always Forever are excellent examples of those blessed hybrids that make for excellent beach reading even as they manage to make you think. Chadbourn's premise? That the gods of Celtic mythology have returned, along with creatures like dragons, to our modern reality. The resulting clash takes place on a broad canvas while focusing on five flawed characters guided by a legendary champion to seek a resolution to the conflict. For once, too, a book's press release is correct, describing the Age of Misrule series as "one part Lord of the Rings, one part Illuminatus!, one part Arthurian romance, one part Harry Potter--100% original!"

Continuing a series of three guest posts from Chadbourn, here are his thoughts on "Mysterious Britain"...

MYSTERIOUS BRITAIN: FIVE FANTASTIC PLACES YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW
by Mark Chadbourn

From one perspective, Britain is as much a land of fantasy as Middle Earth. Over its thousands of years of history, it has accrued a great many mysterious and mystical places that still haunt the modern mind. My Age of Misrule sequence, which deals with the return of the Celtic gods to our time, can also be read as a magical mystery tour of Weird Britain. As part of the research, I spent six months on the road around the UK, sitting in stone circles on fiery summer dawns, creeping through haunted castles, stalking storm-lashed moors at twilight, all the time searching for the places that still resonated with the power of ancient days.

A lot of them have seeped into the global consciousness, but here are my top five lesser-known mysterious places, all of which feature in Age of Misrule:

Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh--Beneath the Scottish capital’s Old Town, lies a completely preserved street from one of Edinburgh’s darkest times. When the plague struck in 1645, quarantine was imposed. Legend says the still-surviving residents of Mary King’s Close were walled up to starve to prevent the plague spreading. It’s unlikely that people were really left to die when the street was sealed, but the underground rooms of the Close are still supposed to be one of the most haunted sites in the UK.

Tintagel Castle--The legendary birthplace of King Arthur on the coast of Cornwall in the south-west of England. Explore Merlin’s Cave. Or simply drink in the moody atmosphere of the ruined castle with the sea crashing on three sides.

Chalice Well, Glastonbury--Glastonbury has more than its fair share of mysterious places, from the tor with its secret entrance to the Celtic hell, to the Abbey where King Arthur is alleged to have been buried. The Chalice Well--linked to the Holy Grail as the name suggests--has been in use for more than two thousand years and has one of the potent spiritual atmospheres I’ve ever experienced.

Wandlebury Camp, Cambridgeshire--An Iron Age fort on the top of a hill not far from the world-famous Cambridge University. On moonlit nights, a ghostly warrior is supposed to ride out to challenge all-comers. There are legends of old gods carved in the chalk, giants, and a buried golden chariot.

Loch Ness--Everyone knows about the monster that’s supposed to lurk in the Scottish lake, but away from the water there are more interesting places. The area is rife with prehistoric sites--cairns, stones, mysterious carvings--and the magician Aleister Crowley once owned Boleskine House next to the loch where he was alleged to have conjured up a fearsome creature which still stalks the area. The whole area is hugely atmospheric.