It's a little late for Halloween but this is definitely something to remember the next time you have some kids to entertain. I admit that I haven't tried it yet, but I heard one of the best uses for hot dogs.
Cut the hot dogs lengthwise into quarters.
Dip them into a mix of mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard and then fry them in a skillet with a little bit of oil.
The hot dog strips will curl up a little and the condiments will add color so they look like disgusting, dirty worms.
Serve on a bun with some relish and you have one fried worm sandwich with a bit of mold for garnish.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
pseudo "slaved all day"
My new favorite ingredient is green enchilada sauce. It comes in whatever spice intensity that suits your personal tastes, it's readily available in grocery stores, it has all the seasonings you need (though it can always stand a little bit more :), and someone else did all the work to give it that rich and deep flavor that you can pass off as your own. I currently have two favorite applications for my new favorite ingredient: chile verde and regular chili.
Chile verde: Cube then brown whatever kind of meat you want (doesn't have to be pork but pork shoulder really does work the best) with an onion and some garlic in a deep skillet until it all picks up some good color then add a big can of the green stuff and maybe another can of diced green chiles. Let it simmer for 30-60 minutes and it tastes like it's been several hours.
Chili: brown ground protein (again, doesn't matter but ground sirloin is absolutely delicious) with onion and garlic, throw in whatever tomato products you like as well as any pre-cooked/canned vegetables or starches, and drown it with the enchilada sauce. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors mingle, but the longer it bubbles on low, the better it tastes. If you don't use juicy tomato products or only a small amount, you'll most likely need to add some water to loosen your chili up. I have used a can of tomato sauce before and tonight I used a large can of crushed tomatoes. I haven't tried ketchup, but go for it if that's your thing and report back!
Chile verde: Cube then brown whatever kind of meat you want (doesn't have to be pork but pork shoulder really does work the best) with an onion and some garlic in a deep skillet until it all picks up some good color then add a big can of the green stuff and maybe another can of diced green chiles. Let it simmer for 30-60 minutes and it tastes like it's been several hours.
Chili: brown ground protein (again, doesn't matter but ground sirloin is absolutely delicious) with onion and garlic, throw in whatever tomato products you like as well as any pre-cooked/canned vegetables or starches, and drown it with the enchilada sauce. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors mingle, but the longer it bubbles on low, the better it tastes. If you don't use juicy tomato products or only a small amount, you'll most likely need to add some water to loosen your chili up. I have used a can of tomato sauce before and tonight I used a large can of crushed tomatoes. I haven't tried ketchup, but go for it if that's your thing and report back!
Monday, September 26, 2011
"new" roof
We got some work done on our roof. It's a traditional wooden shake roof that looked like it was time for an update, but we don't have the money to re-roof. So when this guy going door-to-door came by saying they could restore the roof for a fraction of the cost, we were all for it. No, it wasn't a scam. They made the roof look beautiful. They power washed it to get all the dirt and moss and lichen and whatever else out/off of it and then they sealed it, maybe they also stained it. It makes the house look so much younger and lighter. BUT! But, I think that the sealant blew into the leaves of a nearby tree because it's already started to turn colors while the others haven't. Maybe it's not because of the roof stuff because, as I said, the other trees haven't turned yet. It's just that the timing is rather sketchy.
Regardless, our roof looks fantastic.
Regardless, our roof looks fantastic.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Right vs Left (brain, not wing)
I've taken those lame magazine quizzes: I am whole-brained. And I agree. My left and right lobes seem to be equally prominent. While in general that seems to be awesome, it can make me a little bit obsessive and impulsive when only half of my personality seems to be getting quality time out in pubic.
When I was a science major, it was fascinating at first but became very very hard and drew out the creative side of me. I was driven to write and felt like I was going crazy under all of the figures and facts and tables when I didn't. I cranked out A LOT of wordage in those few years. When I switched majors, it went away. I joined the College of Humanities instead and couldn't produce a single decent piece outside of a classroom assignment for several months. I tried because I missed writing, but there wasn't anything behind the drive aside from habit. My muse was free of her prison and she wasn't ready to come back.
The right side of my brain greatly enjoyed all the reading and essays I had to do, but the left side missed the structure of the sciences. It began to self-medicate with crossword and sudoku puzzles to try to erect structures in the void. Not a big deal, no, but the puzzles were easy and slightly interfered with my concentration during class. Classes which were not conducted in English, I might add.
Now that I have graduated university, I work. I don't know if it's because of the whole left-right brain thing, I got creative spark that won't be satisfied until my project is done, or because I feel ineffectual at work and need something with enduring results but I have become crafty. There is an afghan-ish blanket that I want to make and I've been spending a lot of my free time working on it. I've also been checking out project books on almost every trip to the library. They're mostly beyond my skill level, but I like looking at them.
I often say that my style involves a little bit of chaos. Perhaps that's what it takes for both facets of my personality to assert themselves since they obviously haven't discovered how to play nicely with each other.
When I was a science major, it was fascinating at first but became very very hard and drew out the creative side of me. I was driven to write and felt like I was going crazy under all of the figures and facts and tables when I didn't. I cranked out A LOT of wordage in those few years. When I switched majors, it went away. I joined the College of Humanities instead and couldn't produce a single decent piece outside of a classroom assignment for several months. I tried because I missed writing, but there wasn't anything behind the drive aside from habit. My muse was free of her prison and she wasn't ready to come back.
The right side of my brain greatly enjoyed all the reading and essays I had to do, but the left side missed the structure of the sciences. It began to self-medicate with crossword and sudoku puzzles to try to erect structures in the void. Not a big deal, no, but the puzzles were easy and slightly interfered with my concentration during class. Classes which were not conducted in English, I might add.
Now that I have graduated university, I work. I don't know if it's because of the whole left-right brain thing, I got creative spark that won't be satisfied until my project is done, or because I feel ineffectual at work and need something with enduring results but I have become crafty. There is an afghan-ish blanket that I want to make and I've been spending a lot of my free time working on it. I've also been checking out project books on almost every trip to the library. They're mostly beyond my skill level, but I like looking at them.
I often say that my style involves a little bit of chaos. Perhaps that's what it takes for both facets of my personality to assert themselves since they obviously haven't discovered how to play nicely with each other.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
You know what I want? Chocolate cupcakes with fresh raspberry sauce poured over them and topped with whipped cream.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
OK GO with Atomic Tom, The Relay Company, and The Parade
I was at last night's show at Avalon, sponsored by 92.3 FM. It was a good show at a great price. The first two opening acts were local bands and were typical of local bands; they made you glad when the people with recording contracts hit the stage.
The Parade was reminiscent of Panic! At the Disco and fronted by clean-cut Asian boys with a couple of scruffy white guys. I wasn't paying much attention other than that and to note that the lead was alright when he used his boy band register or went into scream-o mode, which wasn't as often as it should have been.
The Relay Company was pretty good for an opening act. One of their songs took the hook straight out of Beauty and The Beast, which totally worked for me. They were cute and could probably go somewhere after a few years of hard work. I hope they do; I liked Second Guitar's dimples.
Atomic Tom was amazing. Great energy, set list, talent, everything. They even did a cover of "Don't You Want Me, Baby?" and won the whole crowd's adoration. My friend spotted the lead, whose name is Luke and not Tom like we expected it would be, after their set and talked to him for a minute. Nice guy.
OK Go was their typical fantastically oddball self. They were in their rainbow suits and rocked it out. I really really liked their rendition of "Return" on the hand bells. It was beautiful. The down side, for me, was that their energy was all over the place and the lead seemed drunk in his patter with the audience. It was kind of annoying patter about how the wifi in Santa Clara sucks and that they don't take requests. Maybe they overused their confetti cannon, but I personally loved it and had way too much fun with the ticker tape.
The club itself was nice, good acoustics, and there was room to move around despite it being a Sold Out show. The bathrooms looked clean as I walked by, the people standing next to me had food that smelled great, and the bouncers at the door weren't too scary. I didn't buy any drinks either, so I have no idea how those rate. Parking sucked a little, but that's to be expected. They at least have a designated parking lot with overflow space from the supermarket that went out of business.
OK Go: Yes
Atomic Tom: Yes!
The Relay Company: Sure
The Parade: perhaps not...
Avalon: Sure
The Parade was reminiscent of Panic! At the Disco and fronted by clean-cut Asian boys with a couple of scruffy white guys. I wasn't paying much attention other than that and to note that the lead was alright when he used his boy band register or went into scream-o mode, which wasn't as often as it should have been.
The Relay Company was pretty good for an opening act. One of their songs took the hook straight out of Beauty and The Beast, which totally worked for me. They were cute and could probably go somewhere after a few years of hard work. I hope they do; I liked Second Guitar's dimples.
Atomic Tom was amazing. Great energy, set list, talent, everything. They even did a cover of "Don't You Want Me, Baby?" and won the whole crowd's adoration. My friend spotted the lead, whose name is Luke and not Tom like we expected it would be, after their set and talked to him for a minute. Nice guy.
OK Go was their typical fantastically oddball self. They were in their rainbow suits and rocked it out. I really really liked their rendition of "Return" on the hand bells. It was beautiful. The down side, for me, was that their energy was all over the place and the lead seemed drunk in his patter with the audience. It was kind of annoying patter about how the wifi in Santa Clara sucks and that they don't take requests. Maybe they overused their confetti cannon, but I personally loved it and had way too much fun with the ticker tape.
The club itself was nice, good acoustics, and there was room to move around despite it being a Sold Out show. The bathrooms looked clean as I walked by, the people standing next to me had food that smelled great, and the bouncers at the door weren't too scary. I didn't buy any drinks either, so I have no idea how those rate. Parking sucked a little, but that's to be expected. They at least have a designated parking lot with overflow space from the supermarket that went out of business.
OK Go: Yes
Atomic Tom: Yes!
The Relay Company: Sure
The Parade: perhaps not...
Avalon: Sure
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Trader Joe's "red" velvet cupcakes
I got a 4-pack of these cupcakes the other day and was greatly disappointed. Sure, the price was right, but that's all they had going for them. For starters, the red velvet cake part was not red. They looked like your basic chocolate cupcakes. "Psshh, you big baby," you say. "Nuh-uh!" says I. A gigantic part of the allure is that these things are RED. Mine were not red. Ergo, disappointment.
Secondly, I found the cake to be really dry. Not crumbly, thankfully, just something I can't bear to call moist. The frosting helped me get over most of that, but it shouldn't have to. Actually, the frosting didn't do much for me, but I won't blame my beloved Trader Joe's for that since I have issues with store-iced cupcakes.
Conclusion: 2 stars out of 5
Secondly, I found the cake to be really dry. Not crumbly, thankfully, just something I can't bear to call moist. The frosting helped me get over most of that, but it shouldn't have to. Actually, the frosting didn't do much for me, but I won't blame my beloved Trader Joe's for that since I have issues with store-iced cupcakes.
Conclusion: 2 stars out of 5
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