Slog

Out: WaMu CEO Kerry Killinger, on the heels of plummeting stock prices and losses from bad mortgages.

In: CASA Latina breaks ground in Central District.

Struggling: Obama campaign seeks to gain financial advantage over publicly financed McCain.

Holding Steady: Troop levels in Iraq, at least until Bush leaves office.

18 Million Cra… Never Mind: NY Times refers to nonexistent Clinton-Palin feud as “cat fight.”

God’s Law: Evangelicals seek to overturn ban on endorsing from the pulpit.

Struggling: Airlines projected to lose $5.2 billion this year.

Tell Us What You Really Think: Condoleezza Rice offers “less than hearty endorsement” of Sarah Palin, noting, “she’s a governor of a state here in the United States.”

Hmm: Bush taps McCain’s 2000 finance committee chair to rescue bailed-out mortgage buyer Fannie Mae.

That Little Old Lady Must Have Provoked Those Dogs Somehow: Elderly woman mauled by pit bulls in SeaTac.

Increasing: Anti-Semitic incidents in Britain.

Declining: US demand for bottled water.

A Robot Could Generate Better Cliches: So why does Maureen Dowd still have a column?

Recipe of the Day: Tomato Gratin (photo and recipe via We Are Never Full)

Ingredients

4-5 large tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 leaves of basil, thinly sliced
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (plus extra for the breadcrumbs - see below)
1/4 cup olive oil

For breadcrumb topping:
1 cup of unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano or romano cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika/pimenton
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put a bit of olive oil in the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Arrange the tomatoes flat down, side by side, in the dish. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper, the minced garlic and 1/4 cup of the parmigiano reggiano.

In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with all of the herbs, spices and the cheese. Mix. Sprinkle some of the dry mixture (before you add the olive oil) on to the top of the tomatoes (about 1/8 of a cup).

With a fork, blend in the olive oil with the remaining dry mixture. Sprinkle as much as you like of this mixture onto the tomatoe. Top with some fresh basil.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until top is brown and crusty and the tomatoes have shrunk a bit.