Glazed Carrots Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005 1 pound carrots, approximately 7 medium, peeled and cut on the bias 1/4-inch thick 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter Heavy pinch kosher salt 1 cup good-quality ginger ale 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves In a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, combine the carrots, butter, salt and ginger ale. Cover and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove the lid, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the chili powder and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the ginger ale is reduced to a glaze, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately. Roasted Cornish Hen with Mustard Seed Topping (Gourmet Magazine, by way of epicurious.com): Ingredients: 1 1/2-pound Cornish hen 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard 2 tablespoons mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup chicken broth Preparation: Remove the backbone from the hen with poultry shears or a sharp knife, put the hen, skin side up, on a work surface, and press down the breastbone to flatten the hen. In an ovenproof skillet roast the hen, skin side up, in a preheated 450°F. oven for 10 minutes. While the hen is roasting, in a small bowl whisk together the oil, the mustard, the mustard seeds, the rosemary, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the hen from the oven, spread the mustard mixture over the skin, and roast the hen for 15 minutes. Transfer the hen to a preheated broiler and broil it about 4 inches from the heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the skin is crisp. (Do not let the mustard seeds burn.) Transfer the hen to a platter and keep it warm. To the skillet add the wine and boil the mixture over high heat until it is reduced by half. Add the broth, boil the mixture for 1 minute, scraping up and brown bits, and add any juices that have accumulated on the platter. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve onto 2 plates, cut the hen in half with a sharp knife, and arrange each half on top of the sauce.

The Caracal is distributed over Africa and western Asia. Its habitat is dry steppes and semi-deserts, but also include woodlands, savanna, and scrub forest. It is a solitary, or paired, territorial cat. The Caracal may survive without drinking for a long period — the water demand is satisfied with the body fluids of its prey. It hunts at night (but in colder seasons also in the daytime) for rodents and hares; rarely it may even attack a gazelle, a small antelope or a young ostrich. It is a picky eater, and discards the internal organs of the mammals it catches, partially plucks the fur off of hyraxes and larger kills, and avoids eating hair by shearing meat neatly from the skin. However, it will eat the feathers of small birds and is tolerant of rotten meat. It is most well-known for its skill with hunting birds; the Caracal is able to snatch a bird in flight, sometimes more than one at a time. The Caracal can jump and climb exceptionally well, which enables it to catch hyraxes better than probably any other carnivore. Its life expectancy in the wild is 12 years, or 17 years in captivity. Since it is also surprisingly easy to tame, it has been used as a hunting cat in Iran and India. Because it is so easily tamed, the Caracal is sometimes kept as a pet, and is said to adapt easily to living with humans. It is often viewed as vermin by farmers in Africa because it frequently climbs over fences to eat chickens and other poultry. The Caracal is almost impossible to see in the wild, not because there are very few of them, but because it hides extremely well. Game drives in countries such as Kenya and Botswana widely encounter other animals, but a sighting of a Caracal is extremely rare.