Dibs on the Carcass!

I feel like I have so much to say, but my eyes just stare at the empty "page."  Rather than be all smooth and put together, I'll go with some bullets and randomness.  Stuff.

I've been working on my "tagged" blog post for a long time.  Why is that so hard?  I have six things, so far.

This weekend flew by.  I had a great weekend of Christmas parties.  Friday was a work party, but I love this group of people.  I had a great time.  I was the designated driver, so I was a good boy.  Although, I did eat a lot of desserts.

Saturday, was my cousins' Christmas party.  My Dad's Uncle's kids and their families.  It's been a while since I spent a lot of time with them, but I grew up with these people, so it was great to see them again.  A few individuals dominated my green beans, although collectively, it seems they don't like them.  But they do like jello salad, and it turns out that I do, too.  There was no ambrosia, but I have high hopes for Easter!  My kids had a great time, too.  It's nice to see Allie hang with the adults and carry on a conversation so easily.  She's growing up.

Oh, there was a HUGE ham, but I was second to ask for the bone, so someone else had dibs on the carcass.  Yeah, merry Christmas!   ;)

Speaking of Allie growing up, she is 5' 6" now.  When asked if she wished she wasn't so tall, she said "No, I just with my friends were a little taller already."

We were going to go to church this morning, but I thought it was Saturday and cleaned all the way through church time.  Cleanliness is next to Godliness, right?  Right?  Crap.

I made split pea soup tonight.  It was great, and the kids ate it.

It's the World's easist soup to make, so make some.

Here...

World's Easiest Soup (aka Split Pea)

8 cups water or broth (I used 4 cups homemade ham stock and 4 cups water)
1 lb split peas (one of those packages from the grocery store is one pound)
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp mysteriously exotic Bulgarian herbs (which merely turned out to be summer savory...)
1 tsp salt (unless your broth is really salty, of course)
1 tsp vinegar (white, red wine, or cider, I suppose)
ground pepper (some)
ham (optional)

Sort through peas and discard anything not peas.  Rinse and put in a pot with a lid.  Add the liquid and herbs and bring to a boil.  Simmer, covered, for an hour to an hour and half.  Your goal is to get the peas to break down when stirred, so keep it bubbling until this happens.

If you want it thicker, uncover for the final 30 minutes or so.  You can't really overcook them, as long as you don't burn the bottom, so simmer until it's just the right amount of thick.  Too thick?  Add more water.

Done?  Add the vinegar and stir.  Taste and salt until salty enough.  Pepper it up and serve in bowls.  I added ham.



I'm looking forward to Christmas.  Christmas Eve at my ((ex)step) Mom's.  That's right.  Ex-Step-Mom.

"I'm the ex wife of your mother's first ex husband's best friend."

"What's that make us?"

"Absolutely nothing.  Pass the ambrosia."

She's like my Mom, though.  She's even remarried, and my kids call her husband "Grandpa Will."

I love Christmas Eve at Mom's, with the traditional Christmas gumbo, cheesecake, and sweet potato pie.  These foods were the beginning for me.  I knew how to cook, but learning these dishes took me to the next level in my love of cooking.  ...plus, I've inherited my powers of cheesecake from this Mom.

Oh, I just thought of #7.  Sweet. 

Speaking of step-parents and Christmas, my genetic mother's second husband (of 3?) had an awesome family. They were Japanese by way of Hawaii, and the Christmas spread was the best thing, ever.  I have fond memories of taking my shoes off at the door, and entering a world of bbq pork, wontons, skewered meats, teriyaki jerky, shrimp with the heads still there, and things wrapped in bacon.  mmmm.... bacon.

Also, his family was wonderful, especially his little sister, who in retrospect, might have been an exotic dancer.

I still need to get a tree.  A good Charlie Brown tree isn't searched out, it's the only one left.  I can still see piles of trees at the lots, so I have a day or so more before I stop at a lot to pickup my loser tree.  It better be bad!

Long, but I've got still more...

Thoughts and prayers go out to some friends having hard times.  From minor colds, to broken bones and hospitals.  Big bills to lost jobs.  Broken garage door openers to leeking roofs, to totaled cars...  I hope that things get better and you can feel the Christmas spirit by Wednesday and Thursday.  You guys and girls are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Roland

little dog lost

Masala Tea (or that stuff your Grandma uses to make her house smell good on Christmas)

I've been hooked on this stuff for a few months now, courtesy of my Bulgarian girlfriend.

It's supposed to be soothing or relaxing, and compared to full caf coffee, it certainly is! Also, it tastes great, and although it has nothing to do with Christmas, it smells a lot like that stuff that your grandma used to simmer on the stove all day (no, not the gibblets!).

Grandma wanted to make the house smell good before the relatives showed up, so she simmered fragrant spices in a stovetop potpourri, filling the house with that comforting scent. So, you can totally freak her out by drinking your potpourri in front of her!

Masala Tea (or chai *)

6 cups water
1 cinnamon stick, broken up
5 thinly sliced circles of fresh ginger
5 cardamom pods
5 cloves
5 peppercorns
5 allspice seeds
1 cup milk
honey or stevia to taste

Heat the water to boiling in a saucepan, then reduce it to a high simmer.

Crack open all the spices with a mortar and pestle. No need to grind, just crack them. You can crack the cinnamon stick in there, too. Live it up.

Add the cinnamon through allspice to the simmering water, allowing it to simmer until the it's reduced by about half. Stir in the milk and sweetener, adjusting to desired sweetness. Heat through, strain into cups or a teapot and serve. There will be spices in the bottom, but that's part of the charm. Sip, don't gulp, and you'll be fine.

Experiment. Adjust certain spices up or down, more or less milk, add or remove things. You can google it and find a million recipes, so you can't be wrong.

Other good additions are:

nutmeg (grated or ground)
mace
coriander seed (cracked)
anise seed or star anise pods (cracked)
vanilla bean (it's actually a good use for that one bean that you thought was too dried up to use)
black or green tea (yes, you can actually put tea in the tea)
various sugars vs the honey
more milk (many do it 50/50 tea to milk) or maybe some half and half


Anyhow, make what you like, there's no wrong way.

* Chai means tea in places that aren't the US. Chai is not the confused with the crap at Starbucks or chia, which is that grass that's grown on little clay donkeys (as seen on TV).

You and me, babe. How 'bout it?

I'm in love with love, my friend says.  Worse, in love with the pain of the potential tragedy.

Of all the girls in all the world, couldn't Romeo have just picked another one? 

No.

There was no choice.  It's not that the girl was wrong -- the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong lifetime, the wrong something.  With all that, the girl was right. Where's the choice?

The potential for tragedy is there whenever you love.  Most of us are in love with that feeling, too.  Without that feeling, there would be no love stories, no tragedies, no romances, no tales of high adventure or war stories, no Disney cartoons, no tales of heroism and honor.  For what else is the fight for, ultimately, if not for love?

The potential for tragedy is there whenever you love.  You can have that love and then lose it.  Lose her.

You can have that love, never try and always wonder; part of you pining forever.

For years, my friends said I aimed too high.  I was unrealistic.  But what's worse, to try for what you want and fail, or to never try and always wonder?  Heartache can be big or small, so what's the bigger tragedy?  I have my answer.  There is no choice.

There's not one song, movie, poem, or story that's got every element that I need, some end right, some end wrong...  This one leaves you hanging, and ends when it's still beginning.

From Dire Staits' "Romeo & Juliet," as sung by The Killers

A lovestruck Romeo, sings the streets a serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade
Says something like, "You and me, babe.  How 'bout it?"

You and me, babe.  How 'bout it?




 

Brown Butter Cookie Company

Brown Butter Cookie Company

My friends Traci and Christa make wonderful cookies. Browned butter and topped with sea salt? Amazing.

These would be perfect as a little gift for the host and hostess of the next Christmas party. Your hosts already have plenty of wine...

And if you're rich and having a party, go for a big box. Serve these at the end of the night instead of searching my blog for a good cheesecake recipe. My cheesecake's are for two. ...and they're too much work for such a big event.

Allie's been up there to bake with them (they are Auntie Traci and Christa to her), even making some of these actual brown butter cookies.

Allie can't say enough about how great these cookies are; how much love and effort goes into each step and into each cookie. Her eyes glazed when she talked about the smell of browning the butter, and when I asked about the salt on top, she sighed. My daughter is wise with food...

Bendy straws

are not very manly.

Superman's Song

It's only technically a video, but it never changes, so hit "Play" and then read on.  The band's actual music video is stupid, so I spare you.

Superman's Song

I haven't heard this song in years, but recently it's been on the radio again.

My friend Jim used to play it for us when we'd all get together on Saturday nights.  I didn't really appreciate the song until recently.  It seemed too much like a novelty song, back then.  But after years of mortgages and fatherhood, I've felt the pressure to keep going and going even when I'd rather escape for a while.

This song is so melodramatic and tongue in cheek, yet it does a pretty good job of illustrating two sides of a man's personality. It's just good to acknowledge that most of us want (or need) both sides. Men and women both, I think.  Personally, I could do with less changing in phone booths and more "I Tarzan, you Jane."

Here's the lyrics for the more curious of you.


Superman's Song


Tarzan wasn't a ladies' man
He'd just come along and scoop 'em up under his arm like that
quick as a cat in the jungle
But Clark Kent now there was a real gent
He would not be caught sittin' around in no junglescape
dumb as an ape doing nothing


Supermen never made any money
Saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him


Hey Bob, Supe had a straight job
Even though he could have smashed through any bank in the United States
he had the strength, but he would not
Folks said his family were all dead
Their planet crumbled but Superman, he forced himself to carry on,
forget Krypton, and keep going


Supermen never made any money
Saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him


Tarzan was king of the jungle and Lord over all the apes
But he could hardly string together four words: "I Tarzan, You Jane. "


Sometimes when Supe was stopping crimes
I'll bet that he was tempted to just quit and turn his back on man,
join Tarzan in the forest
But he stayed in the city
And kept on changing clothes in dirty old phone booths till his work was through
And nothing to do but go on home


Supermen never made any money
Saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him

Happy Thanksgiving!

Random list of things I'm thankful for...

My kids (the randomness starts below)

Google.   and transversely, for people who don't google, who make me seem so much smarter

Coffee

Prepositions at the end of sentences

Fresh ginger

...and my disdain for the rule that says not to begin sentences with "and" or "or"

Flat Stanley

Cheesecake

6'1"

The mortar and pestle

The internet

...

The Little Prince

Cast iron pans

Skype

Perfume

Say Anything

Turkey

Christmas

That's enough. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

Cardamom Ice Cream

I'm in love with cardamom.  It's just amazing stuff.  I don't know that I'd even had it before a year ago, but now I go through it like most people do pepper.

The great thing is that most people can't identify it.  It's a secret ingredient in several of my recipes, and I usually get a great reaction from it.  Here, it takes plain ol' vanilla ice cream and makes it amazing.

Cardamom Ice Cream

Recipe is per person

2 scoops vanilla ice cream, plus a 1/2 scoop, melted
4 cardamom pods

Split the cardamom pods open and put the seeds in a mortar and pestle, spice grinder, or ultra clean coffee grinder.  I have a dedicated grinder just for spices, but if you don't, and want to use your coffee grinder, grind up some dry rice until the coffee grounds and coffee smell is gone, then do it one more time.  Brush it clean, then grind the spice.

Melt, or allow to melt, the 1/2 scoop of ice cream per person.  Stir the ground cardamom into the melted ice cream.

Scoop the ice cream into individual bowls, and evenly divide the melted ice cream amongst the bowls, pouring it over the scoops.

Garnish with a spoon.  Serve.  Eat.

Nutrition:  Whatever it says on the label of your ice cream.

Caramelized Apples & Yogurt

Caramelized Apples & Yogurt

Per person

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 cardamom pod, seeds only, crushed
1 tsp butter
dash cinnamon
1 apple  (I used a red one!)
1 small cookie (optional)

Stir cardamom into the yogurt.  Set aside.

Slice apple, peel and all, into thin slices and pieces.

Heat butter in non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add cinnamon and apples, stirring to coat.  Cook apples over medium heat until browned and tender to bite.

Stir the hot apples into the yogurt and serve in a bowl.  I had it with an oatmeal cookie, but I almost wish it was a ginger snap.

Note to self:  Roland, remember to use the camera before you eat the food.  It looked good, too.

Green Beans with Honeyed Cranberries

Skip that green bean and almond casserole this year and embrace some fresh green beans!

Hopefully, this is a fresh take on them for you. It's certainly easy and delicious.

For Thanksgiving, this is distinctly American, as green beans originated down in Mexico and moved on up to the United States over time, ready for those European Colonists to eat 200 plus years ago.  Cranberries are also native to the USA, and so are pine nuts.  If you don't like pine nuts, try pecans or black walnuts.  Black walnuts are hard to find; those big walnuts in your Thanksgiving nut bowl are English.

Enjoy...

Green Beans with Honeyed Cranberries

Serves 6 ( 6 at a regular meal, more people at Thanksgiving, since people tend to have soooo many choices.  But, you decide, based on the recipe and the people attending.)

2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, strings removed
2 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp honey
salt to taste

If doubling the recipe, it's probably easier to cook all the cranberries, then cook the beans in batches of 1 1/2 lbs.  Toss the nuts, cranberries, and honey in the big bowl at the end of all the cooking.

In a large covered skillet or pot, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the cranberries, cooking until they are broken down and fully "one with the butter."  It will look like cranberry sauce, and it tastes extremely sour, so don't even try it.  Scrape the sauce into a large bowl.  Stir in the honey.

Return the pot to medium high heat and add the green beans.  Add 1/4 cup of water, and cover the pot.  Cook until they are crisp and still crunchy, not limp.  Mine just took about 4 minutes.  Check after 3 and go from there.  Add water if it dries up, too.

Add the beans and the pine nuts to the bowl, salt them, then toss gently to fully coat.  Salt to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Per serving (1/6th):  Calories 131, Fat 6, Carb 20, Fiber 5, Protein 2

Protected

It's a beautiful Saturday out here.  Windy and warm with the Santa Ana winds blowing.

I'm in a wonderfully melancholy mood today.  Across California, there are fires burning because of these dry winds, so it seems wrong to enjoy this, but I am. 

I'm watching the leaves blow from the trees and push up against the walls and bushes in the distance, making piles.  After a while, the winds shift and the piles leave, too. On my deck, I'm protected from the winds; the walls and buildings are aligned perfectly.




I'll man myself up later.  Promise.

Pears with Cardamom and Sour Cream

I used to be anti-fruit.  Not that I thought it was bad, but just that it was not satisfying.  It was like eating nothing, or worse, made me hungrier.  No more.  Something changed in the last year and I'm liking fruit every day.  It's still the worst thing for me to have when I'm hungry, since it still does nothing to fill me up, but I love it and can deal with it just fine.

This recipe is pretty simple, but good.

Recipe is per person.

1 pear (room temperature)
1 cardamom pod
2 tbsp sour cream, divided

Break open the cardamom pod to get to the seeds.  Discard the husk.  Grind the seeds.  Hopefully you have a mortar and pestle, but if not, you can use a cutting board and the bottom of a heavy glass, mug, or pan to grind them.  They are pretty small to begin with, so it's not hard.

Cut the pear into bite size pieces and place into a small bowl.  Toss the pear with the cardamom, then 1 tablespoon of the sour cream, stirring to mix and coat.

Put it in a pretty bowl or cup and plop another tablespoon of sour cream on top.  Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.  Temperature is important.  Cold kills flavor.

I'm going to try poaching a pear next time, but since I like crisp pears a lot, I wonder when I'll get around to it...

Nutrition (using a large pear): Calories 182, Fat 6, Carbs 34, Fiber 6, Protein 2

Fashion Fiascos

I did a lot of walking today, because the weather was so nice.  70-75 and partly cloudy.  But, California is an odd place; here people sometimes wish it was colder, so they pretend.

I don't carry a camera around to take pictures of strangers anymore, so I found one on the interweb.  This picture is actually from Estonia (wherever that is), but today this guy would've fit right in around here.  Notice the scarf?  Brrrr.

Today I saw these combinations of ludicrous:

Shorts, scarf, canvas work jacket, sandals
Shorts, knit beanie, ski vest, thermal shirt, work boots
Shorts, ski cap (with ball), parka with furry hood, Converse high tops

There were more like those, too.

I also saw a guy with jeans, scarf, HUGE coat, and gloves.  He must have been dying in there.  I had shorts, a t-shirt, and athletic shoes.  I was carrying a long sleeve t-shirt, just in case.  I was fine.

He didn't look nice, either.  It wasn't like he had this awesome new outfit that he needed to show off.  He was an idiot.

Speaking of idiots...  I was talking on the phone this morning and apparently I said "The world is full of idiots."  I don't remember why I said it, but Allie repeated it to several people today, and used me as a reference.  Nice.  I told her that what I meant to say was "The world is full of people, and most of them are idiots."  Better.

Again, speaking of idiots...  I saw several women who were dressed nicely, while the male next to them was not.  That's simply irresponsible.  There's simply no excuse for it.  You have a responsibility to make sure that you are complimentarily complementarily* dressed if you're going to go out together.  If the girl is wearing something nice and put together, the guy needs to come close at least.  How hard is that?  So, please, stop slacking off, step up, and accept the responsibility that comes with dating a man.  Tell him to get the fuck back inside and put on some real clothes.  If you don't you're an idiot.

* just give this word to me, okay?

Will It Blend?

This is not some metaphor for my life or anything, simply a fun post. I will not be deep. On Halloween, I stayed up late with Tony, watching things blend on youtube.



The guy blends a ton of fun things. Check it out.  Do it.

It started with talk of an iPhone, the expense of an iPhone, then a link to the death of an iPhone on youtube.  Here's the link to one iPhone's beautiful demise.

Tony and I loved watching the death of the iPhone, but we had to turn off the computer to catch an episode of "Time Warp" before bed.  But, imagine this, "Will It Blend?" was being featured on this episode of "Time Warp" in ultra slow mo!  What a coincidence!  So, 30 minutes later, we were back on youtube again for a ton more blending.

After all of the blending, Tony and I had a slumber party in the living room. We stayed up even later, talking in the dark. I fell asleep too early. He wanted to talk, and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I'll have to remember to do it again, but start earlier for the extended father/son chat time.

The boy and I are two totally different people.  We don't often get each other, but you know what?  We get blending shit.

See?  It's not deep.

Halloween Night

I took the boy out trick or treating.

 

Tony and friends

 Tone's friends

My daughter and her friends did a haunted house and a slumber party at a friend's house, but we did go by to check it out.

 

Allie Dead and Alive 

  

The Witches' Haunted House 

 

The haul 

 

A clone can dream, can't he?

A Little TOO Seemless

I couldn't believe how smoothly daylight savings time happened.  My PC, my phones, my DVR, etc. all changed automatically.  I will admit I was shocked that my car "knew" about the time change, but I'll take it.  Yeah.  I'm an idiot.  We'll see what happens next week, when the time actually changes.

On a vaguely related side note, the other day I wanted to go get lunch, and my daughter was taking her sweet time.  I go in and she's sitting on her bed next to her iPod clock radio.  It's not plugged in, but she's ready!

"It's noon in two minutes," she says.  "I'm moving the clock from over there, and 12:00 is the only time this will work."

Gotcha.  I guess I should buy her that backup battery so she doesn't have to live this way.

Stuff that doesn't matter

I'm brain dead, waiting for my car to be repaired.  Coffee at Starbucks and wishing there was a couch in here.  I'm soooo tired, so you get stuff of little importance.

Del Taco has the New Classic Taco on the menu.  Hmmm...  Which is it?  New or classic.

In the grocery store, you can buy six packs of bottles of Diet Coke and Pepsi.  In the olden days (like two years ago), they were 16oz.  One of them upped the ante to 20oz.  Pepsi kicked it up to 24oz.  Now, all of the sudden, all bottled sodas are 16.9oz.  Same price.  Screwed again.  ...and it happened too quickly to be mere competition.  Retooling takes time.  There was no time.  They all just did it.

Sometimes Firefox's spell check just stops doing it's thing.  You think you're good and you're not.  You have to misspell something on purpose, just to see if you've been screwed on the last ten things you wrote and sent already.

I hate when pedestrians stop at the very edge of the curb, like they are going to launch themselves into the crosswalk any second.  They make us stop for nothing.  Or, what if they slip?

Random Stuff

1.  I'm watching Ladyhawke for the umpteenth time.  I picked it up at Blockbuster before I hit Starbucks.  I get setup in Starbucks and update my queue, only to find that Ladyhawke was number one in my queue, so now it's being shipped.  In a few days, it'll be in my mailbox, so I'll have two copies.  This means I can watch it twice now!  Cool.

I was going to post a youtube clip, but there are no good ones.  See #2, below.


2.  What the hell's with youtube homages?  I was going to post a mere clip of Ladyhawke, but I was overwhelmed by homages to Ladyhawke.

embarrassing

Don't feel obligated to watch it.  It's bad.  There are worse, though.  Like one with a cover of Behind Blue Eyes as the backdrop.  Go ahead, click through to see more and more and more.  All of them set to music that might or might not have anything to do with the movie.  These people are so in love with love that they made their own musical little love story out of this movie's clips.  How sad and embarrassing.

What did these people do before youtube?  Collages?  Scrapbooks?  Paintings?  Poetry!  Not anymore.  Not when video is available! On youtube.com, there are homages to everything.  Many of them have "restraining order" written all over them, but a lot of them have "I'm 35 and I live in my mother's basement" written on them, too.

3.  I saw at least three people picking their noses in on the freeway.  Not even tinted windows.  One girl was cute.  Hmm... If a pretty girl is picking her nose, is she still pretty?

5.  The internet is a blessing and a curse.  In some ways, a miracle.  My line of thinking goes like this -- it's a blessing because I've met many people and made so many friends that I could never have met locally.  It's a curse because sometimes it's painful to not be able to see those friends in their (or your own) time of need.  The internet is a miracle with a small "m."  ...and it has quotes around it.  It's a "miracle."

Slow Roasted Tri Tip

This is pretty easy, but we'll see how good it is tonight when I get home.

Tri Tip
2 1/2lbs tri tip, untrimmed
3 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper 
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup water

Spice Rub
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp cumin seed
1 tbsp Mexican oregano, dried
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Spice Rub Directions

Heat a dry skillet over medium high heat.  Swirl and toast the coriander seeds in the pan until they are fragrant and darkened.  Poor the seeds into a bowl or large mortar.  Add the cumin seeds to the pan and toast them next.  With about 30 seconds left on the cumin seeds, add the oregano to the pan.  It will get fragrant fast (30 seconds, remember?), so before it burns,  pour it into the mortar or bowl.

Grind the spices in the mortar, or transfer the spices to the spice grinder.  Return the powder to the bowl, stir in the salt.  Add the olive oil and stir to make a semi-dry paste.


Slow Roasted Tri Tip Directions

An untrimmed tri tip will have a layer of fat on one side.  You're going to leave that on. 

Lightly crush and remove the garlic peel.  Using a sharp knife, make three slits in the meat side of the roast and insert the garlic deep within the slits.

Rub the meat side of the roast with the rub.  Place in a large covered bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour, but as long as overnight.

Seed and chop the pepper.  Peel and chop the onion.

Place the pepper and onion on the bottom of the slow cooker, adding the water.  Lay the tri tip, fat side up, on top of the peppers and onions.  I tucked a few small red skinned potatoes alongside the roast, but this was just a random way to use up the last two that I had.

Turn slow cooker to the low cook setting for 8-10 hours or the high cook setting for 5-6 hours.  I'm using a West Bend metal slow cooker, rather than a "crock pot."  I've got settings of 1-5 to work with, and set it to 2.  I can hear it bubbling in there.  Off to work...


Last night, I got home after work and had a big bowl of the meat, veggies, and potatoes.  Damn good.  The meat was tender enough to shred, but I chopped it up and had it like stew.  The broth wasn't thick, but I loved it anyway.  Drank up what was left.

Tonight, I had it stirred into a bowl of rice, with some artichoke hearts.  Noodles, I think, tomorrow.

This is one of the best roasts I've ever made.  Delicious. It's so good that I'd be kicking myself if I hadn't written it down.  You should make it.

PostSecret

My friend Michael (aka RedLefty) turned me onto PostSecret a while back.  I love that site.

Here are a few favorites...  I'm in a lighthearted mood, so nothing deep today.

 

One thing.  There's no archive, like on most blogs.  So, when next Sunday comes, this Sunday's are gone.  There are two kinds of people:  One will be concerned that they'll miss out.  The other will find comfort that they don't have a lot of catching up to do.

Happy Sunday.

What About A Modern Day Elvis Movie?

Over the last few months, I've rented five or six Elvis movies.  For the most part, they were pleasant enough, but the Elvis movies that I remembered from when I was a kid aren't the reality.

I remember colors that were bright and cheery, happy endings, laughing and light hearted humor, dancing and singing, cool clothes, problems that were huge, yet handled in a trivial and almost carefree way, lots and lots of pretty girls, and a happy and satisfying movie experience.

Instead, I got colors that were bright and cheery, happy endings, laughing and light hearted humor, dancing and singing, cool clothes, problems that were huge, yet handled in a trivial and almost carefree way, lots and lots of pretty girls. ...and lots of boring.

I'd been meaning to watch me some Elvis for some time now. I have fond memories of them and wanted to feel those feelings again.  The complications of modern life (divorce, dating, single fatherhood, not dating, new job, dating, etc.) drove me to want for some simpler things in life.

Elvis seemed good on paper.  I even thought it was about time for this genre of movies to make a comeback. Time for some new young star who can sing, dance, and play -- hopefully act -- to pick up where The King left off. 

It seems like everyone wants to be a screenwriter, and I'm no different. We all have an idea for the perfect movie, don't we? Well, I've got a ton, and one was a modern day Elvis-style flick. (Big Star to be determined, later.)   Hell, I'm not telling you my whole brilliant idea. Cuz I'ma be rich when I write it and sell it to Hollywood!  uh huh.

But now, after watching all of these Elvis movies, a big part of me now thinks that the world is too cynical for a new Elvis. The world and it's people (even the young people (especially the young people?)) have moved on from the attitudes and "simple lives" that allowed those movies to be good (or at least fun) back then.

No longer can we go from a gang of mobsters chasing our gang of teens, our teens pausing to win the dance-contest, then back to being on the run while our lead is desperately trying to decide between the two girls that he's fallen for, all while, the elaborate plan of his trusty (read nerdy) sidekick is on track to bring the right help to the right place at just the right time:  the big TV Dance Off!  That's so 1967...

  There's really no good reason for this last picture

I'm curious about what would make up a modern day Elvis-style movie. Light hearted, musical, funny, romance, etc.  I really don't think the plot is all that important, it just has to stay out of the way.  What would the movie be about?  Who could be the star?  The new Elvis for this era.

One Cuts One Picks

That's what I wrote on a piece of paper.

I have no idea what it means.

It was important enough for me to get up and write down, then go back to sleep.

I hate when this happens.

Tequila Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

A better name is in order, don't you think?

I've made these a few times.  Always good as an appetizer.

These go well with spears of jicama,  mango or papaya (tart or ripe), cubes of cheese, and even scallops or shrimp.  All of which can also be dipped into the spice mix, if you like.

Tequila Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup tequila
Spice Dip (recipe below)
toothpicks

Wash and drain the tomatoes, removing any stems or crowns.

Pierce each of the tomatoes with a toothpick.

Put the tomatoes in a covered glass bowl or jar and add the tequila.  Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, stirring the tomatoes every once in a while to make sure all get a turn in the tequila.  Optionally, if you want to use the tequila for Bloody Marias, feel free to add enough to actually cover the tomatoes.

Using a runcible spoon or similarly slotted spoon, get the tomatoes out of the tequila and into a bowl.  For the best flavor, allow the tomatoes to return to room temperature before serving.  Leave enough tequila in the bowl so that you can stir them periodically and re-wet them so the spice mixture will cling.

Set out a bowl of toothpicks, and serve with the spice mix, below.  Spear a wet tomato and dip it into the spices before eating.


Spice Mix

1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tbsp Mexican oregano (preferred)
1 tbsp paprika
spicier ground chili (such as cayenne, ground chipotle, New Mexico, Ancho, etc.) to taste
salt to taste

Heat a dry skillet over medium high heat.  Add the cumin seeds and shake and stir until fragrant.  If they start to jump, pull the pan off the heat and keep stirring and shaking until the calm down.  Remove the toasted seeds to a bowl.  Repeat with the coriander seeds.  Don't try to toast them at the same time or you'll regret it.

Transfer the seeds to a spice grinder, clean coffee grinder, or mortal and pestle.  Grind and return to the bowl.

Over the bowl, rub the Mexican oregano between your (clean) palms to crumble.

Stir in the rest of the spices, adding salt and the spicy powder to taste.

Pour onto a lipped plate or shallow bowl for your tomato (etc.) dipping pleasure.

Nutrition stats?  I'm not attempting it.  It's basically tomatoes and tequila.  Depends on how much of it you decide to drink.

My Pit Stain Experiment that you probably don't care about

I have at least 10 white shirts with yellow pit stains.  The shirts, overall, are still really, really white, but those yellow armpits haunt me. Imagine the horror of being in an accident and the EMPs and Doctors seeing the yellow!  Mortified!

Although undershirts are almost disposable, it still bugs me.  But, I have some favorite t-shirts that are expensive and touchably soft (yeah, you know what I mean...).  I feel like I've worn them twice and they are already showing the signs. 

Yes, mock me for buying a $30 white t-shirt that, from a distance, looks just like a 3-pack tee.  $30 for a shirt that is one wayward bite away from a permanent salsa stain.  Yet, I considered that, weighed the subtle beauty and über softness against the chance of a dribble, and still splurged.  ...and almost don't regret it.  I didn't regret it at all until I pulled it out of the dryer last week and say the signs.  It has begun.  Sigh.

Again, sigh.  This one's still wearable.  But, I can't keep this up.  I won't.  Time to have a plan for long term white shirt wearing.

I did some research.  It's the antiperspirant.  I can't and won't give that up.  More research (I googled and it was the second hit) led to a new theory.  The dryer heat, combined with some antiperspirant chemical, is bringing out the yellow.  This is interesting.  If true, it will be annoying, but ultimately workable.  Line drying?

So, I bought new shirts and have begun not drying them.  One washing.  So far, so good!

Someday, I'll be back to post the update.  If anyone cares... 

Tip --  Oh, here's a tip for those of you who wear undershirts on a regular basis.  If they show at the collar (typical of the business casual look), you need to KNOW that the shirts are still white.  Not off white...  They must be white white.

First, the next time you buy undershirts, take one and never wear it.  Put it away somewhere. 

Second, compare all your older shirts to your new super white shirts.  It's probably shocking how off white they are, isn't it? 

Figure out how many shirts you need in rotation (I need about 10+) and make sure you have that many that are actually still white enough to look good.  Use the new shirts as a reference and toss the others into the rag pile.

Periodically, pull out that pristine shirt that you've squirrelled away for safe keeping and compare your whites.  Too many too bad?  Time to buy a few new ones and toss the worst.

Super Simple Pasta. Fresh cherry tomatoes, some chicken, and some artichoke hearts for good measure.

I eat pasta.  My dirty little secret.  My kids love it, and I'm trying to live in the real world these days.

Page 52 of this month's Men's Health has the tiniest little blurb on making olive oil even healthier by sauteing tomator skins in it.  The premise is odd.  But should I quibble about more lycopene being drawn out of tomato skins by olive oil vs other oils?  I mean in this case, aren't you going to eat the whole tomato anyway?  Who cares if it's drawn out?  When you digest it, it's drawn out then, right?  Plus, is the olive oil really any healthier?  Not really.  So, I don't get it.  Yet, the recipe is simple, healthy, and delicious, so let's go with it.

If you have the mag, read the blurb, but the fact is that the super simple recipe is pretty close to my own super simple recipe, which I'll give you now.  MH has all sorts of other sweet little blurbs, so pick it up anyway.


Fresh Tomato Pasta

Makes 2 servings

4 oz dry pasta
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes (I like the multi-color mix from Trader Joe's, but any tiny tomatoes work)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (if they're sliced, you or your guest can choose to not eat the slices)
1/4 cup packed basil leaves, torn up (I usually use pesto, but this is simpler.  The nod to MH, here)
fresh ground pepper
salt (sea salt, kosher, coursely ground, preferred.)

Cook the pasta.  Drain the pasta.  Toss it with 1 teaspoon of the oil.  Salt to taste.  Keep it warm in a big heavy covered hot bowl (or the pan if you're all mundane and not feeling like you'd like to be on some cooking channel, somewhere, someday).

Wash and dry the tomatoes.  Heat the olive in a large non stick pan over medium high heat.  Swirl the oil to coat the pan and add the tomatoes.  I just like to shake them around over the heat, but if you love the feel of a wooden spoon or spatula, touch it, use it.

When the tomatoes are getting soft, starting to darken and open here and there, add the garlic and keep that pan moving (shaken or stir, whatever).  It's only going to take 30 seconds or so, so keep an eye out.  If the garlic burns, you're screwed (not really, but whatever you do, don't burn it.  Seriously.)  Okay!  Now!  Take the pan off the heat and dump the pasta in there.  Stir and shake to mix and coat the pasta, then quickly empty the pasta and tomato mixture into your warm bowl.

Toss the torn up basil leaves into the bowl of pasta, grind some pepper, toss really well and salt to taste.

Serve with no cheese.  That's so played.  Everyone serves it with cheese, but come on!  Cheese will totally overwhelm this stuff with cheese flavor.  Look at the title.  Does it feature cheese?  No.

I would serve this with a simple grilled chicken.  Maybe stir fry some artichoke hearts and chicken tenderloins.  Here....

Chicken and Artichoke Hearts

Makes 2 servings

12 oz chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
8 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cut into bite size pieces
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken and stir fry until lightly browned.  Remove to a bowl.  Add the artichoke hearts to the hot pan and stir in the wine.  Heat through, stirring to deglaze the pan.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Poor the hot artichokes and wine over the chicken.  Stir to mix.

Even though these taste awesome together, put one or the other in a small bowl, and the other straight on the plate.  No mixing.  It's not right.

Enjoy.


Nutrition

Fresh Tomato Pasta, per serving:  Calories 304, Fat 8.0, Carbs 50, Fiber 4, Protein 9

Chicken and Artichoke Hearts, per serving:  Calories 278, Fat 8, Carbs 14, Fiber 6, Protein 30

Monday Night Music

banana pancakes



rainbow



hot cookin'



beautiful



smoke

Amélie

I've had Amélie since April 17th.  The beauty of Blockbuster Online is that you never have to return anything.

I'm not exactly sure what kept me from watching it all this time.  It does take constant attention (subtitles...), so for good or bad, it's not a movie that you're going to watch while doing something else.

I woke up early, made some coffee to take back to bed, and watched it while the rest of the house was asleep.

The movie was beautifully done.  I'm sure most of you have seen it.  The tiny girl looking up with her big eyes and secret smile; the perfect combination of innocent and devious. (sigh)

There was so much story going on, even without the language.  At one point, I paused for a minute, accidentally losing the subtitles.  I watched for 30 minutes without them, listening to the french, and didn't notice.  The expressions and camera said it all.  Language is overrated.

I'll add this to my list of favorites.  I'm sure I'll watch it again before I ship it back.  Tonight.

Free Range Ramble (not enough gusto for a true rant)

It's not what you think... 

I heard at least four different people today talk about how we're letting our politicians/government have "free range" with our money.  The phrase must have been in the news...

This is not a political point, it's a a grammatical one.  It's "free reign," morons. 

Free range is the freedom to wander about.  Mostly eating and not in a cage.

Free reign is the freedom to go where you like. Do what you want.

Free range chickens have free reign to wander about the yard..

Semantics, I guess.  You could make an arguement that either works, but you'd just be defending a mistake.  "Yeah, yeah.  I meant to do that."

The Peanut Butter Calls To Me!

Does it help to know that you're in the same boat with someone on food issues?  Hopefully, you're not like this.  Some of my food issues are bad.  It have so little resistance, these days.  3 years ago, I had plenty of willpower.

I love peanut butter and banana shakes.  I love peanut butter by the spoon, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, ants on a log, whatever.  Peanut butter is a food of the Gods.

• I buy peanut butter, then send the jar home with the kids.
• I tried buying peanuts to blend into my shakes, because I can resist peanuts.  Only I can't.
• I tried buying unsalted blister peanuts because they aren't good.  Only they are delicious.
• I froze the peanut butter in tbsp servings so I wouldn't just eat it.  You know what?  Frozen peanut butter is delicious.
• I tried buying natural peanut butter, since I don't really like how runny it is.  It's still good in a pinch.  Too good.
  
• So, I tried freezing the peanuts.  Frozen peanuts are also tasty.
• My super extreme solution:  peanuts in the ice cube tray, cover with milk, freeze.  They can serve only one purpose (to be blended), and so far, I'm not tempted to eat them.

 
This is not about fixing the problem, it's really aboiut avoiding the issues.  This blog post is to say "you're not alone."  Actually, I hope YOU'LL say "you're not alone" to me and share in return.  Is it bad to want to not feel alone in your issues?  Part of me hopes there will be no comments, but a bigger part want the bonding.

Happy Sunday!

Stupid movies that other people, who I like, like

I''ve been supposed to write my list of movies about honor, but that takes a lot of thought.  Instead, you get movies that, for some reason, people like, but I think are stupid.  You don't even get ten.  I count six.  Help me with four more, please.

Serendipity 

Jonathan: So are you gonna meet your boyfriend now or what?
Sara: No, I think he's out probably doing what you're doing.
Jonathan: Getting a crush on somebody else's girlfriend? No, I'm sorry, I just meant I had a really nice time. You know, maybe you should give me your phone number. Just in case.
Sara: In case of what?
Jonathan: In case of life. I just had a really great time and for all we know I wouldn't be able to find you again.
Sara: Well, if we're meant to meet again, we'll meet again. it's just not the right time now.

Total bullshit.  If you want something, you make it happen.  "It wasn't meant to be" is a way of letting yourself off the hook for being a pussy and not making your move when you had the chance.


Serendipity
has one
redeeming
quality.




Kate and Leopold

A mysterious time warp is needed, by the screenwriter, to bring a prince or duke or something to the future to date Meg Ryan.  Romantically stupid.  Stupid premise.  Stupid plot.  Stupid lines.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.



Cocktail

When it's on tv, I sometimes watch parts.  Just like I test a bruise every few hours to see if it still hurts.  BTW, it does.





A Fish Called Wanda

Booooooring.  Women always like it.  Some of them own it.  I even rented it again because a chick with otherwise wonderful taste (she liked me...) told me to give it another chance.  Still boring.


What Women Want

Dumb.  Really dumb.  ...and I'm getting tired of the linking to IMDB part.




Fatal Attraction

Okay.  Good movie, but AnneArcher is phenomenally beautiful in it and what's-her-name is NOT.  Wouldn't have happened.  New actresses, please.




Signs

If only there were no aliens...  What a good movie it would have been.





The Abyss

If only there were no aliens...  What a good movie it would have been.





Oh look!  You can see a double feature!

Kate & Leopold / Serendipity for $17.99 





I think that's seven.  What's on your list?

But you can't listen in the car forever...

These four songs were almost 25 minutes. I pressed the power button after ELO. I was afraid of the next song. I had to go in...

A Mag (and a blog) for a good cause

Spezzatino is a magazine created to raise money for the Healthy Food Bank. 

The proceeds from the magazine go to the Healthy Food Bank, a nonprofit organization that purchases basic nutritious food for local food banks around North America.

The quality of this magazine is awesome, although it is electronic, which is a potential downside to many.  For one, you can't leave it lying around to demonstrate your $5.99 worth of philanthropy.  ;)

Go to the site, sign up for the newsletter and gain access to the sample copy.  It's beautifully made and more than just a cooking mag.  For those that are interested in the backstory behind wonderful food, it's a fun time.

Checkout their blog, too.  Spezzatino blog

For those fitness and nutrition veterans, you might recognize a lot of Precision Nutrition names in the mag and blog.  These people know stuff.

What you can eat at... Starbucks

As work gets crazy, I sometimes camp out at a local spot.  In a pinch, I gotta eat what they got to sell.  With dangerous menus, what's the health conscious person to scarf down?

Today, I'm at Starbucks.  Let's take a look at some of the choices...

First, I'm not one to tell you not to have that scone.  If you love it, can fit 450 calories worth of Cranberry Orange Scone into your diet (and be satisfied an hour later), more power to you.  Most people can work a treat in there, somewhere.  But, I have to have the scone AND food.  So that's not going to work for me.

Here are my options and recommendations:




Vivanno Nourishing Blends

Chocolate and banana or orange, mango, and banana shakes.  These are pretty good.  Not too shabby, nutrition-wise, either.

I have a friend behind the counter, so I got the inside scoop and tour, and was able to read all the labels of all the ingredients in these things.  Ingredients include bittersweet cocoa powder, 2% milk, whey protein w/fiber, real banana, real orange mango juice (Naked Juice), and option macha powder or espresso, depending on the flavor your choose.

To me, the only questionable ingredients are the juice and the macha powder.  Juice won't kill you, and I'll take Naked Juice's juice over most.  I just love mango.  A weakness on my part.

If you think you're getting the green tea benefits of the macha powder, don't.  It adds 40 calories of sugar and who knows how much green tea.  Not much, I'm thinking.  If it makes it taste good, figure in the calories and go for it.

Take a look at the blends and see for yourself.  I think the chocolate ones are a better nutritional deal, with 20-21g of protein, but the mango ones are sure tasty, even with merely 16g of P.

Banana Chocolate
270 calories, 5g Fat, 44g Carb, 6g Fiber, 21g Protein

Banana Chocolate w/espresso
260 calories, 4.5g Fat, 42g Carb, 5g Fiber, 20g Protein

Orange Mango Banana 
250 calories, 2g Fat, 47g Carb, 6g Fiber, 16g Protein

Orange Mango Banana w/Macha 
290 calories, 2g Fat, 57g Carb, 6g Fiber, 16g Protein

Perfect Oatmeal

It's oatmeal.  Just oatmeal.  It's fine.  You can get toppings.

Perfect Oatmeal
140 calories, 2.5 Fat, 25g Carb, 4g Fiber, 5g Protein

Nut Medley
100 calories, 9g Fat, 2g Carb, 1g Fiber, 2g Protein

Fruit Medley
100 calories, 0g Fat, 24g Carb, 2g Fiber, 1g Protein

Brown Sugar*
50 calories, 0g Fat, 13g Carb, 0g Fiber, 0g Protein

* fyi, brown sugar is just as healthy as white sugar, or HFCS.  It's still.  just. sugar.

Of course, you can also get Splenda, milk, half and half, etc. at the little bar area.  The cinnamon and chocolate shaker bottles have sugar in them, too.  So beware of the shakes your shake onto your oatmeal.

This oatmeal not a meal.  Not for me, anyway.  You need to add some protein.  They suggest a sugary protein enhanced latte, but if you're willing, you can ask them to dump in some whey from the Vivannos (it's extra).  You might get a blank stare or a "no."  It's a drink option for a food item, so they panic.  Which button do you press?  Crap!  "Uh, no sir. We don't have protein."  Just be patient and consider using the word "venti" to comfort them...  Talk them down and work through the problem together.


Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon, Cholesterol-Free Egg, Reduced-Fat White Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich

The name is a mouthful, huh?  It's like an Egg McMuffin, but sort of healthier?  I'm not so sure, since an Egg McMuffin is right up there with the nutritional content.  But, were not at McDonald's, we're at Starbucks.

Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon, Cholesterol-Free Egg, Reduced-Fat White Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich
350 calories, 11 Fat, 41g Carb, 3g Fiber, 20g Protein

I'm not really about reduced fat, but I don't like extra fat and I don't like fat calories when they aren't necessary.  This sandwich doesn't taste like it's reduced fat, so it's just good.  Oh, the english muffin only looks whole wheat, btw.  It's not.  Eat it anyway.


Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta & Egg Wrap


I really like these.  But, by the afternoon, they tend to be gone.

Yikes!  It's got a lot of freakin' ingredients, but most aren't that bad.

LAHVASH WRAP (WATER, FINE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, NATURAL FIBER FLATBREAD BASE [WHEAT GLUTEN CORN STARCH, OAT FIBER, ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, SOY FLOUR, SOY OIL, SALT, SESAME FLOUR, CALCIUM SULFATE, DEXTROSE, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, MONOGLYCERIDES, FUMARIC ACID], WHEAT FLOUR, CANOLA OIL, HONEY, SUGAR, SALT, YEAST, CALCIUM PROPIONATE, L-CYSTEINE [DOUGH CONDITIONER]), SCRAMBLED EGG INSERTS (WHOLE EGGS, WATER, WHOLE MILK POWDER, SOYBEAN OIL, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SALT, BUTTER FLAVOR [SOYBEAN OIL, BUTTER (CREAM), LIPOLYZED BUTTER FAT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS], XANTHAN GUM, CITRIC ACID), SPINACH, FETA (CULTURED PASTEURIZED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES, POTATO STARCH ADDED TO PREVENT CAKING), SUNDRIED TOMATO, GARLIC AND SPICE SPREAD (WATER, PASTEURIZED MILK AND CREAM, TOMATO PASTE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES (TOMATOES, SULFUR DIOXIDE [PRESERVATIVE]), SUGAR, CANOLA AND OLIVE OIL, SPICES, CHEESE CULTURE, CREAM, STABILIZERS (CAROB BEAN AND/OR XANTHAN GUM AND/OR GUAR GUMS), LACTIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE), CRUSHED GARLIC, CITRIC ACID, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, MALTODEXTRIN,  NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM CITRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ENZYMES), ROASTED TOMATOES (TOMATOES, CANOLA OIL, GARLIC, OREGANO, SALT).

IMO, the whole "preservative" thing is overblown, anyway.  "No preservatives" is for eating at home!  Not when you're fainting from hunger and need to knock out a proposal and head to the customer!

Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta and Egg Wrap, 
240 calories, 10 Fat, 29g Carb, 7g Fiber, 13g Protein

See look what Starbucks has to offer!  Just look past the bakery case and the sugary, fatty drinks, and eat something fairly healthy.

Butter Side Up

Yesterday was a hard day.  It was long and....  well, long.  Today, I'm up early for a 5am PST "net meeting" that's hosted on the East coast at their 8am, then I've got another full (read long) day.  So, I'm making some cinnamon toast.  I love me some cinnamon toast. 

There are only two slices of Ezekiel Bread's Cinnamon Raisin Bread left in the bag!  I pop them in the toaster.  I toss the bag on top of my super full trash can and then watch as the empty bag slowly slides onto the floor.  Of course...

I grab the tub of margarine from the fridge.  Toast pops, smear with margarine, put them on the paper towel and head to the counter to scarf. 

Of course, one slice decides to take a dive...  It slides right off the paper towel, and there's nothing I can do to stop it, since I've got a full cup of joe in hand #2...  crap.

Luckily, my laziness has paid off.  The slice lands right on the bread bag (so no five second rule required)!  And, as you could probably guess from the title, it's butter side up!  That never happens!  The physics (the grease must make the butter side aerodynamic?) and my typical luck make this a sure impossibility. 

Today will be a good day for me.  Hopefully for you, too.

In honor of our collective good day, go have some cinnamon toast.  Here's my favorite recipe...

Cinnamon Raisin Toast

2 slices Ezekiel Bread's Cinnamon Raisin Bread
2 tsp Canola Harvest Margarine

Nutrition: Calories 226, Fat 10g, Carbs 30g, Fiber 6g, Protein 8g


Here's my alternate recipe.  Use your own ingredients to find the calories, etc.

Cinnamon Toast

2 slices of high fiber, low cal, whole grain bread (Weight Watchers, Oroweat Light, "normal" Ezekiel Bread, etc.)
2 tsp butter or healthy margarine (e.g., no Smart Balance* or anything else with soybeen or vegetable oil on the label)
cinnamon
Splenda

* Read my rant on Smart Balance, here.

Caprese Omelet

It seems a bit strange for breakfast, but why do we have these weird rules about what foods are for what meals?  I've moved on from those rules, years ago.

I'll post this two ways.  The way I made it, and the way you could make it if you actually planned this.  Check them both out, then just wing it.  What could go wrong?

Caprese Omelet

3 large eggs
1 tbsp water
salt
cooking spray
1 package of string cheese
2 oz of cherry or grape tomatos
1/2 ice cube of thawed (e.g., gently nuked?) pesto*
salt
fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar


Roughly chop the tomatoes, put them in a bowl, and salt and pepper them to taste.  Slice the cheese into rounds and stir into the tomatoes.  Add the thawed pesto and stir well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat your omelet pan over medium high heat.  Beat the eggs and water together in a bowl.  Salt to "taste."  Don't actually taste it.  Yuck.  Spritz the pan with the cooking spray, and pour in the egg mixture.  Swirl the eggs around the pan.  After they set up on the bottom a bit, lift the edges, and tilt the pan to allow the egg to run under the bottom.  Reduce heat and allow the eggs to gently set up.  When they are almost solid on the surface add the tomato mixture to half of the omelet.  Fold the empty half over the tomatoes.

If the omelet looks fully cooked at this point, plate it.  If it needs more time, you can gently turn the omelet once or twice so the inside cooks, but the outside doesn't overcook.  Um, gently turn it so the fold is always down on the pan, don't flip it or things will get ugly...

Once it's plated, increase the heat of the pan again.  Add the vinegar to the empty pan and reduce the vinegar to a slightly thick glaze.  Drizzle over the top of the omelet.  Eat.


The first version was leftovers.  This version is more standard, since a caprese salad is typically layered, not chopped.

Caprese Omelet, v2

3 large eggs
1 tbsp water
salt
cooking spray
1 oz of mozzarella cheese
2 oz of roma tomatoes
2 leaves of basil
salt
fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar


Slice the tomatoes into thin slices.  Slice the cheese into thin slices.  Chop the basil.

Heat your omelet pan over medium high heat.  Beat the eggs and water together in a bowl.  Salt to "taste."  Don't actually taste it.  Yuck.  Spritz the pan with the cooking spray, and pour in the egg mixture.  Swirl the eggs around the pan.  After they set up on the bottom a bit, lift the edges, and tilt the pan to allow the egg to run under the bottom.  Reduce heat and allow the eggs to gently set up.

When they are almost solid on the surface add the tomato tomato slices across half of the omelet.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with chopped basil.  Add the sliced cheese over the tomatoes.  Fold the empty half of the omelet over the tomatoes.

If the omelet looks fully cooked at this point, plate it.  If it needs more time, you can gently turn the omelet once or twice so the inside cooks, but the outside doesn't overcook.  Again, gently turn it so the fold is always down on the pan, don't flip it or things get ugly fast.

Once it's plated, increase the heat of the pan again.  Add the vinegar to the empty pan and reduce the vinegar to a slightly thick glaze.  Drizzle over the top of the omelet.  Eat.


* Pesto note.  I can't believe I haven't posted a simple pesto recipe, I make it all the time.  Here's the one from JP's site, though.  Basil Pesto with Almonds.  I make a ton and put it in icecube trays (2-4 tbsp per cube), freeze it into cubes, and keep them in a ziplock bag.

Face Your Manga

I'm not really hip on the manga thing, but if you are, go make yourself.  Or remake yourself, if that's needed.

faceyourmanga.com

You know what would be good?

A fried bologna sandwich.  The Oscar Mayer stuff.  Nothing fancy.  The bologna should be cut through the skin so they fry into Xs.  That way they don't curl up on you.  Mayo and white bread is essential.

Put Down the Bad Donut!

I ate an old fashioned donut today.  It was calling to me for an hour.  I calculated the calories and figured I'd fit it in.  The problem is that it was not very good and I ate it anyway.

I have this problem a lot.  It's not that the donut was bad, it just wasn't glazed.  Therefore, it just wasn't worth 200+ calories of my mere 1801 calories allowed today.  Why didn't I toss it?  Because it was sort of good.

I didn't even pay for the thing, so it's not the "wasting money" thing.  Besides, I'm a firm believer in leaving Disneyland if you're not having fun, having got your money's worth or not.  Staying and playing in misery doesn't make the spent money return, so cut your losses.

Food is another story.  Lack of willpower is the deal.  But, how to overcome this lack?  Ideas?  Success stories?  

Oh...  Why do plain old fashioned donuts even exist.  It's glazed or nothing, baby!

Mediterranean Sliders

Sliders have been popular lately.  Here's the gyro twist on them.

A healthy eating note, since "how are sliders supposed to be healthy?"  There's nothing in these sliders that's unhealthy. If you eat these and get fat (or stay fat), then you're eating too many of them OR eating them and something else that's pushing you over your limit.  That's the general problem in the world, too much food.  So, my suggestion is to have a salad, not fries, go light on the dressing and keep your calories under control.  Enjoy the sliders and make them work with you, not against you.

Even my kids will eat these, as long as they don't have to eat the tzatziki.  They are just burgers to them.

Oh, here's my tip on pressing burger patties, taken from years of my burger pressing experience at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour and Restaurant.  First, press them into something, don't pat them into a patty between your hands.  You can't get them thin and firm enough like that.  Find and save some jar lids of various sizes.  The perfect burger patty typically starts off bigger than the bun it's going to be served on.  The lid from a two lb tub of protein powder might make a good lid to press a 1/4 lbs burger.  A mayo or large mouthed pasta sauce jar lid might work perfectly for these sliders.  I have a collection of sizes.

Once you have the lid, you need a plastic bag, piece of wax paper, foil, or plastic wrap for a liner.  Lay the liner on the empty lid, set the ball on the liner, then press.  Use the liner to remove the perfect patty.


Mediterranean Sliders

Serves 4 (8 sliders)

tzatziki (recipe below, go and make it now)
8 rolls (whole grain, whole wheat rolls.  parker house rolls, for instance)
8 slices of tomato
½ lbs lean ground beef
½ lbs lean ground lamb
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano, rubbed between palms
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
thinly sliced onion (optional)

Mix all ingredients from beef to ground pepper together in a large bowl.  Roll meat into 8 balls, then press them into thin patties. Cook the patties over medium high heat (or grill them) until done.

While the patties are cooking, warm the buns, if you like.  Spread each bun with some tzatziki, top with a patty, tomato, and onion (if desired).


Tzatziki
½ cucumber, shredded or finely chopped
1-5 cloves minced or pressed garlic (optional)
1 cup Greek yogurt
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1½ tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Sprinkle shredded or chopped cucumber liberally with salt and stir.  Put cucumber in a colander to drain for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, squeeze out excess water with your hands.

Stir yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice together so that it's well combined.  Stir in cucumber and mix well.  Salt to taste.

Serendipity: What a Stupid Movie

Serendipity. Why do I keep watching it?

It reminds me of that joke about the priest...

God Will Save Me

A big storm approaches. The weatherman urges everyone to get out of town. The priest says, "I won't worry, God will save me".
The morning of the storm, the police go through the neighborhood with a sound truck telling everyone to evacuate. The priest says "I won't worry, God will save me".
The storm drains back up and there is an inch of water standing in the street. A fire truck comes by to pick up the priest. He tells them "Don't worry, God will save me."
The water rises another foot. A National Guard truck comes by to rescue the priest. He tells them "Don't worry, God will save me."
The water rises some more. The priest is forced up to his roof. A boat comes by to rescue the priest. He tells them "Don't worry, God will save me."
The water rises higher. The priest is forced up to the very top of his roof. A helicopter comes to rescue the priest. He shouts up at them "Don't worry, God will save me."
The water rises above his house, and the priest drowns.
When he gets up to heaven he says to God "I've been your faithful servant ever since I was born! Why didn't you save me?"
God replies "First I sent you a fire truck, then the national guard, then a boat, and then a helicopter. What more do you want from me!!??" 

Back to the movie...  If fate brings two people together, cool. If two people deliberately temp fate, then they are stupid and they are destined to be miserable.

Don't rely on a used bookstore or Craig's List.  Tip:  Take it from these two and at the very least, agree to meet somewhere specific in a certain date.

Despite that huge flaw in the movie, I watched it.  Kate Beckinsale.

Pretty Girl Question #147

If a girl's got a tag sticking out, is she still pretty?

Maybe I should change the title of these to "Petty Girl Question." As in "I'm shallow and petty and here's my question."

One more song. Fat Old Sun

Beautiful day out here in So Cal. I love this song. The video does nothing but change color, so hit play, minimize, and go about your browsing. Or, scroll down and read the flight attendant/black velvet ribbon story, below.

If it's a beautiful day where you are, log off and get outside.



I'm sometimes torn on which youtube version to post. This one is not quite interesting enough to watch. Who wants to watch guys frolic? Not me. Why not have girls playing around? That's just me, but even a gay friend once told me that even for himself, women were good to look at because they were "artistically complete," and that guys are just good to lust after. I think he's half right--girls are good to look at.

I don't know how girls feel, though. A big part of me thinks that even girls would rather watch girls playing around in wheat fields. Am I wrong?



Last one. Same song. Alternate version. I wish the quality was better, but it's all we've got.

I love alternate versions. Not live versions so much, but alternate studio versions, really put together acoustic versions of an electric songs, or the occasional live one that really nails it.

This one comes from some BBC archive. They've got everything that's cool, huh?



At this point, I stop. If you love this song by now, checkout youtube for some other live sets. There's even a David Gilmour live version from recently. It's a great version, and it fits really well with his latest solo work, which is a return to the mellow and more uplifting roots of early Pink Floyd, sans psychodelic drugs.

The Black Velvet Ribbon

I never speak to people on the plane.  I'm always between some guy who smells like feet and that lady who wants to talk about Stampin' Up! or Creative Memories.  But, this last time, I got Mr. Rock Star and a group of 30 year old moms on their first trip away since having kids.  Thank God they were all fun.

I noticed our flight attendant was wearing a thin black velvet ribbon around her neck.  She was tall and thin, with a graceful neck.  The ribbon stood out.

I chuckled without being able to help it.  Rock Star wanted to know what was so funny.  I pointed out the ribbon, and reminded him of a "horror story" from my youth.  He laughed, too.  30 Year Old Mom wanted to know what was up.  I told her, too.  She said I was mean.  But, she told her friends.  They all laughed and the peer pressure turned her to my side.  Excellent.

The flight attendant was headed our way.

"Fasten your seatbelts," she told us (well, me), "we can't pull away from the gate until everyone is ready."

Scolded, we settled into our seats and prepared for takeoff.  A few giggles continued from my new friends as our flight attendant continued back up the aisle.  I had to raise my voice a bit to make myself heard over the roar of the jet engines, but I continued to relate the story to the people around me...

She was beautiful in a strange, mysterious way. Her hair and her deep bottomless eyes were as black as the velvet ribbon around her neck. He planned to ask her for a cup of coffee after the "fasten seat belt" sign was once again turned off.  At 10,000 feet, the pilot allowed us to move around the cabin, which meant "beverage service" would soon begin... 

He watched her walked towards him up the long aisle. She was dressed in a white uniform blouse, black pants, and pushed a white cart of complementary snacks. Even her face was ivory white. But below it, around the ivory neck, was the black velvet ribbon. He remembered staring at that ribbon as he boarded the plane, struggling to look backward as he was ushered through the front of the plane, on his way to poor man's first class: the exit row aisle seat.

He was not the only one who's eyes were drawn to the black velvet ribbon.  He remembered the curious and shocked looks on the faces of the other passengers.  But then his eyes met hers, and he was drowning in their bottomless darkness.

He didn't think of the velvet ribbon during the rest of his flight. She provided wonderful service, and if people thought she was a bit strange, they kept that to themselves.  During the flight, she took several opportunities to chat; during one such chat, he learned that she had an overnight stay in my destination.  They agreed to meet for dinner, later that night.

That night, when she arrived, she was as mysteriously beautiful as before, elegantly dressed in deep blue and black, but with the ribbon still there, still circling her lovely neck.

"You look stunning, So different out of uniform.  I recognized you by that beautiful ribbon.  It's a good thing you didn't take it off.  Or, maybe you never take it off?" he asked, hoping his question was a needless one.

"You'll be sorry if I do," she answered coyly and with a slight smirk, "so I won't."

Her answer intrigued him, but he did not question her further. It was the first date, there was plenty of time for her to change her ways

Their life together fell into a pleasant pattern. They were happy, as most new couples are. He found her to be a perfect girlfriend... well, nearly perfect. Although she had a great number of outfits and wore a different one whenever was in town, she never changed the black velvet ribbon. This ribbon was her trademark.  But eventually it became the test of their relationship. When he looked at her, his eyes would always fall to her neck. When he kissed her, he could feel the ribbon tightening around his own throat.

"Won't you please take that ribbon from around your neck?" he asked her time and time again.

"You'll be sorry if I do, so I won't." This was always her answer. At first it teased him. Then it began to grate on his nerves. Now it was beginning to infuriate him.

"You'll be sorry if I do."

"You'll be sorry if I do."

One day he tried to pull the ribbon off after she had repeated her answer, like a mechanical doll. It wouldn't come loose from her neck. He realized then, for the first time, that the ribbon had no beginning and no end. It circled her neck like a band of steel. He had drawn back from her in disgust that day. Things weren't the same with them after that.  When he drove her to the airport, they rode in silence.  He sat at the white curb, staring silently into space, until airport security ushered him along.

Her first morning back, at the breakfast table, the black ribbon seemed to mock him as he drank his suddenly bitter coffee. In the afternoon, outside, the ribbon made a funeral out of the sunlight. But it was at night when it bothered him the most. He knew he could live with it no longer.

"Either take that ribbon off, or I will," he said one night to his girlfriend of only four weeks.

"You'll be sorry if I do, so I won't." She smiled at him, and then fell off to sleep.

But he did not sleep. He lay there, staring at the hated ribbon. He had meant what he said. If she would not take off the ribbon, he would.

As she lay sleeping and unsuspecting, he crept out of bed and over to the dresser drawer. He had seen a pair of scissors in there. It was small enough, he knew, to slip between the velvet ribbon and her soft neck. Gripping the scissors in his trembling hands, he walked softly back to the bed. He came up to where she lay and stood over her. Her head was thrown back on the pillow, and her throat with the black velvet ribbon around it rose ever so slightly with her breathing.

He bent down, and with one swift movement, he forced the thin blade of the scissors under the ribbon. Then with a quick, triumphant snip, he severed the ribbon that had come between them.

The black velvet ribbon fell away from her neck....her head rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a thump. She was muttering, "You'll be sorry, you'll be sorry......."

Green is the Colour

Tune out the weird, digitized video and enjoy one of the more beautiful Pink Floyd songs.