Spamalatkes

Dec 8th, 2010 by Marilyn

Happy Holidays to you, my Simmer friends. Peace on earth and good will toward all! All except the malicious spam-creature that is continually sucking good tidings from this blog.

Yes. Somewhere, deep within world spam headquarters, an extremely small-hearted bot decided that Simmer would be a good place to nest. Simmer Till Done is under spam attack. Serious spam. You know the kind I mean – male-pharmaceutical pick-me-up last-for-four-hours spam. Several weeks ago I began seeing unusual search terms. I usually see searches for “spritz cookies” or “Cleo’s pumpkin biscuits” or, may she rest in egg noodle peace, “Aunt Rose’s kugel.” What I don’t see too often: “how do I get free Viagra from Canada?”

What does it mean? It means links to this blog don’t work well, and our subscriber list is shot. It means every word I type* is attached to Internet ads for medical male assistance. It means when legitimate kugel-bakers Google a Simmer recipe, they now find odious pharmaceutical spam. It is most discouraging. What would Aunt Rose think?

Sigh. Let’s just look at latkes.

I feel better already.

The tech elves are working to fix Simmer – but I should note that this is the last post until we’re hack-free. The next time you read Simmer Till Done it will – hopefully – have a new design, spam-free archives and a happy, refreshed writer at the helm. In the meantime, I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons, full of golden potatoes and tart applesauce, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding or a marvelous onion-soaked brisket, like the one Cleo is so interested in, below:

Sigh (second sigh). Why can’t Labradors provide tech support?

* not every word you type, just me. Feel free to add your spam-safe commiseration.

Tags: brisket, Cleo, deep sighs, hanukkah, holidays, spam

Posted in blogging, Holiday, jewish cooking

21 Responses to “Spamalatkes”

on 08 Dec 2010 at 4:34 pm1Jennifer Lawler

Evil spam-bots! No latkes for you!

Marilyn, can you make room around the table for a drop-in guest?
on 08 Dec 2010 at 6:10 pm2Maggie

Wretched spam bots! Godspeed.

And not to be greedy here, but might you share the recipe for your latkes? Or point me to your archives if I’ve overlooked them there?

Many thanks and best of luck in your victory over those nasty spammers.
on 09 Dec 2010 at 8:21 am3Eva (1 big bite)

Hello
I am sorry for your spam attack! There bad people out there. I hope you get rid of them soon.
Your picture reminds me of my kitchen, except my lab is yellow.
Have a nice Christmas time.
on 09 Dec 2010 at 9:23 am4Marilyn

J: You know there’s always room at my table for you. Thanks for the support.
on 09 Dec 2010 at 9:25 am5Marilyn

Thank you, Eva and Maggie. Have wonderful holidays! Will add latke instructions soon.
on 09 Dec 2010 at 2:48 pm6Elise (Healing Cuisine)

Oh man, sad to hear!! Good luck getting everything patched up. It’ll probably a much appreciated break though. God is gifting you in a very strange way..!
on 15 Dec 2010 at 5:24 pm7Kendall

I am so sorry to hear about the spam attack! I have dealt with that a few times. SO annoying, but nothing that a little latke love can’t fix. Great work…I am suddenly hungry…and craving latkes.
on 01 Jan 2011 at 8:53 am8Louise

Don’t those bots know you would be willing to share without the Spam?

Wishing you a very Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year, Marilyn!
on 01 Jan 2011 at 1:43 pm9Dinners & Dreams

Sorry to hear about the spam attack. It sounds scary.

I love latkes.

Happy New Year!

Nisrine
on 12 Jan 2011 at 2:05 pm10the boy

mmmm, spam and latkes, I think you’re on to something there, well at least something that Tulsans born in the 1930s might eat. I hope you are free of infection soon!
on 16 Jan 2011 at 8:43 am11Kausambi@Coloredgrains

I lovvv latkes. Yum. The pic is just making me drool..
on 20 Jan 2011 at 7:50 pm12Louise

Hi Marilyn! Just dropped by to say hello. Hope all is well with you and yours. Louise
on 28 Jan 2011 at 10:31 pm13Annie

Your post reminded me of how much I LOVE latkes! YUMMIE!
on 04 Feb 2011 at 3:46 pm14Debbie from Illinois

You are missed!
on 07 Feb 2011 at 9:01 am15Dion

Hurry back…I miss your posts. I found your website from a search on breadboards and kept coming back. By the way, my Dad is trying to make me one from an old oak tree they had cut down. The wood is “curing”. If it doesn’t turn out, I will buy my own!
on 21 Feb 2011 at 9:45 pm16Louise

Hope all is well with you and yours Marilyn. Missing your tasty posts!
on 24 Jun 2011 at 5:19 pm17muddywaters

Peter May’s House of Kielbasa in KCMO. KCK has the best Mexican food. I ate the best tacos this week.
on 24 Jun 2011 at 5:25 pm18muddywaters

Until I read this poem, I thought I was the only person in the world who smelled dog paws. This poem makes me sad and happy:

Packing the Car for Our Western Camping Trip

What we will remember—we tried to take the dog,
packed around him, making a cozy spot
at the back of the Subaru, blocking out the sun,
resisting the obvious—
he was too old, he would not make it.
And when he died in Minnesota,
we smelled and smelled his paws,
arthritic and untouchable these last many years,
took those marvelous paws up into our faces.
They smelled of dark clay
and sweet flower bloom decay.

by Jane Varley
on 28 Jun 2011 at 1:32 pm19Marilyn

Well hello there, Mike (muddy). Missing Simmer? That makes two of us. Hope all’s well and you’re enjoying the heat – both summer and kitchen.
on 27 Dec 2011 at 4:26 pm20Skinny Fat Kid

That pile of latkes looks amazing!
on 02 Jan 2012 at 11:10 am21Gourmet Mama

Ugh, spam-bots! I have that problem on my business blog. I haven’t figured out how to get rid of them, except to put all comments on moderation and crank up the spam filters to max, which gets most of them shuffled to the spam box. Good luck and hope you enjoyed those yummy latkes!