Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts

Thursday, September 8, 2011

A Picture-Blog Story, Being of the Kind Not Generally Recommended for Children and/or Strictly Carnivores

Once upon a time there was a plot of land.  That's not the same thing as saying that the land had its own agenda and that it was full of scheming.  There are plots of land like that, but this is not that kind of story.  So if you want that kind of story, just pack your things and find yourself a different Source, cause this one ain't gonna yield to you, Mr.-Evil-Soils Person.

Anyway, it was a dark and stormy night one day and there was a plot of land 'neath the clouded, clear skies.  Now the skies aren't duplicates, they just are.  Jive?  And on this land a man worked the ground and planted crops.  He took his hoe and brutalized the faithless dirt.  He garnered his seeds and spread them in the ground.  He tapped into the vast reservoir beneath his property and watered the now victimized land, and in the end he saw that it was good.  And when he finished there, he was so pleased with himself that he found another victim and assaulted it, too.


As los dias passed, the man watched his creation gingerly.  The man was especially good at watching things gingerly, as his glorious mane atop his smooth head once was a radiant rojo.  Alas, now only a beard of ruddy brown and auburn exists.  But he watched his plots develop, exposition pouring out into conflicts, lecherous invaders fighting to overthrow the planted seeds and tended ground, the rising action cascading into a calamitous climax of angry fingers and wicked instruments, strewn dirt and black compost, an angry sol and a bitter, cloudless, rainless cielo.

An event so important to the story of the man, so life changing that it deserves to be boldfaced and underlined, happened upon him quite expectantly, though somehow altogether unexpected when it did.  This event is intertwined with the plot of land, as it drew the man away from his plots for a time.  Where once he cared (gingerly) and tended, his presence was suddenly gone, leaving the lone crops unprotected from the wretched invaders.  And when he returned, his precious plots were overran and nigh vanquished.  The invaders had won.  In fury, the man threw himself at the plots, greedy fingers pulling anew, rending many of the new inhabitants to pieces for their sins.  He fought valiantly, but the war had been decided and he had been defeated.

His heart left the plots then and he went off to spend his time with the aftermath of the aforementioned event.  And the plots of land grew lonely.  The sun burned fiercer.  The clouds scoffed in their stingy pride.  From time to time the man would remember his plots and tend to them with water and a fleeting, uninterested attempt of ousting.

And anon came the day of betrayal, when the man decided to once again victimize his subdued plots.  He stole from their weakness great bulbs of onions, crooked limbs of carrots, balls of tomatoes, noses of squash, bells of peppers, and handfuls of herbs.  The time of reckoning was at hand, and they were found in need.  The man prepared his crops, baptizing them gently in the cool waters of Faucet.  He lay them on the altar and then picked up the CutToTheBonePamperedChef Knife.  And without a second thought, he began his slaughter.  Ruthlessly, he also sacrificed the captured prisoners of potato and celery alongside his own beloved.

When the sacrifice was finished, the man coated the pieces with oil and pepper, a bit of salt, and a dab of butter.  He then threw them in the wok and gave them over to the god of StoveTop Heat.  Time passed, steam rose, the foreigner named Arroz was added, and the crops died again at this third betrayal.

After it was all over, the man partitioned out pieces of the sacrifice and filled two bowls.  He then gave thanks to God for the food, handed one to his wife, and commenced the final betrayal.


fin.

Monday, April 18, 2011

The Strange and Wonderful Life of Logan K Stewart

So here I am, thinking about what to think about.  Writing on writing or listening to someone give a talk on being a good listener.  Watching the hands of the clock go tick tick t i c k   t   i    c      k on out to infinity.  Wouldn't it be crazy if the second hand moved counter-clockwise?  And why's it called counter-clockwise?   Why not anti-clockwise or double-plus-ungood-clockwise?

I'm making my way through Fragile Things, a collection of Gaiman short fiction and wonders.  Here's a link to "The Fairy Reel," a poem that begs to be read aloud over and over again, and best when done by the author himself.  I'm also making my way through Maria Tatar's Annotated Classic Fairy Tales as well as her Annotated Brothers Grimm.  Oh, and then there's Joanna Cole's Best-Loved Folktales of the World, too.  It's been rather interesting.

I spent a few hours last Friday morning discussing some interesting stuff, and after that was over, I went to the coffee shop and spent a few hours reading through The Book of Numbers and thinking about how much God loved the Israelites.  Some time later a man sat down beside me and we had a nice, lengthy conversation about the bible, difficult translations, and guitar.  "Alas," said I, looking ruefully at my flip flops and the pouring, cold rain outside.  "I must be off."  And I apparated to the library, where I spent some time leafing through books and working on a short story.  I've had ideas for "The Doom of the Salt People" in my head a while now, and since I was off and it was raining and the music was good, I went on and pounded out a bit.  Part 1 is available here, if you're interested.

Someone clicked the Next Slide button on the Powerpoint and then I was home, cooking Keisha supper, A) cause I'm sweet like that, B) cause I like to cook, C) cause we ain't had us a date night in a good long time and me cooking seemed like the right thing to do.  Grilled salmon, baked potatoes, sliced carrots, and my universally acknowledged, globally accepted three-pasta-four-cheese macaroni & cheese.  Some wine would've been perfect, but Keisha's got the darling growing inside her and I can't/won't drink an entire bottle, so we dined with unsweetened tea instead.

We've started watching Fringe (thanks Netflix & library!), and we're both really enjoying it.  It's like X-Files meets Law & Order / CSI or something.  So far, so good.  Somehow, we've still not finished Battlestar: Galactica (thanks Netflix & library!)  I think I can only take that show in doses.  I love it, but it's so tense and the drama is so emotionally charged that it's quite difficult to take down so many episodes at once. 

All I know is that it feels great to have my own guitar back in my hands, y'know?  There's just something about the way my baby feels.  I know its neck like a good simile.  My fingers know what fretboard they're used to.  Just how much to move and how much to press.  It's all good, now, but it was ungood a week ago.  Longer, even. 

Yeah, I got my TOMS last night.  Alex & Rachael are getting married next month, and as a groomsman, I got a pair of TOMS.  TOMS all around.  It's the first pair I've ever owned, but they're danged comfortable.  Plus, their mission statement is "with every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need.  One for One."  Quite the awesomeness, methinks.  Check out their website if'n you wanna.  Mayhap something'll tickle your cat fancy, do ya kennit?

Go wish Dave a happy 500th post while you're at it.   Tell him I said hi while you're at that.

Remember me to one who lives there.  She once was a true love of mine.  I feel like I could go on and on and on here, as an ellipsis shooting off into infinity.  I've still not touched on Saturday and its happenings, nor on the fantastic Palm Sunday service we had at church yesterday (yes, there were 4 donkeys, yes there were accidents in the church, yes it was awesome).  Yet, an ellipsis knows its place.  It cuts itself off at three dots, though if it ends a sentence there should be four.

I'll just wrap it up with this.  Breastfeeding class was last Thursday night.  I've never heard anyone say "breast" or "nipple" or "mouthful of breast" so much in my life.  The class was highly informative and tedious.  It easily could've been an hour shorter, but the teacher repeated herself at least three times after every point she made.  She'd basically say the exact same thing over and over again, driving home the point until everyone understood it very well, though she would usually rearrange her words or slightly tweak herself.  For very important things, the teacher would repeat herself, sometimes two or three or four times, making sure everyone understood what she was saying.  It was very informative and mentally taxing. 

Still no public revelation on our daughter's name yet, though it is literary, for you wondering minds....

Friday, March 4, 2011

Miscellaneous Miscellany

There's many things a-brewing in the wonderful world.  Morning Bell, release me, release me....

1.  There's an official release date for GRRM's long awaited, highly anticipated, vastly overdo A Dance With Dragons, the fifth volume of the magnificent Song of Ice and Fire series.  According to all the reputable bloggers that I follow (Wert, Pat, Graeme, Aidan, and John), as well as GRRM himself, the hard publication date is July 12.  The book's not quite finished, but close enough that GRRM and the publisher have confidence that it will be completed in time for printing this summer.  If it does come out (and I really hope it does), then 2011 is shaping up to be the Year for Fantasy.

2.  I think I may go watch The Adjustment Bureau tomorrow.  I love me some Matt Damon.

3.  Little babies' eyes eyes eyes........

4.  I crafted a feast fit for a medieval lord and his lady last night, following closely this recipe, but changing up a few things.  'Twas a most delicious meal, even if the serfs scratched at my legs and begged for spare crumbs.  A flagon of ale or a goblet of wine would have been pleasant, but as my lady is with child we chose water instead.

5.  When I am king you will be first against the wall...

6.  Let us take a moment to look at the trends of my utility bills and usage.



Fascinating, I daresay.  One may notice the spike of water consumption for this current 'fiscal' year, and that was after I had my yard re-seeded and had to water like a madman.  Living next to a river, I don't feel bad about this at all.  I did feel bad about the bill, though...

7.  How do we really know what we know?  What proof do we have that the green that I see is the same green that you see?  Is it?  Who's to say that there aren't subtle differences in people's eyes that have minute changes to things?  Or does cinnamon taste the same to me as someone else?  Why does one man like its flavor and another find it repulsive?  Is it mere preference?  If it's true for the sense of taste, surely this must be true for the other senses, too?  Does a pinch not hurt some more than others?  Or a slap in the face?  Or the smell of fresh hyacinths may cause one to break out into hives while the other enjoys a moment of ecstasy.  And surely the differences in music and tone are evident between people.  So again, how do we really know what we know?  Isn't what we know only relative to the individual and we make vast assumptions for the rest of the world?  Seems rather selfish to me...

7b.  Did you think twice about the last sentence above in light to its previous sentence?

7c.  Is my being clever pretentious or in good humor?

8.  Wakey wakey rise and shine it's on again off again on again...

9.   This week's memory verse is from John 1:12,13.  
"But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
    That's some good stuff there.  Makes me think about the ones that don't receive Him...

10.  Do not cry out or hit the alarm, you know we're friends til we die...

11.  I never tire of listening to Radiohead.  "Climbing up the Walls" may possibly be one of the best songs of all time.  It's beautiful, yet somehow sinister, and the explosion at the end leaves your heart pumping.  If you've not listened to it in a while (or never heard it), check it.  It sounds like a madman finally losing it.  (In fact, I think it's about a mental hospital or insanity or something.)

12.  We had some beautiful weather this past week here in Kentucky.  I spent it outside barefoot working on some chairs that needed stripping and sanding.  I also spent it picking up dog crap out of the back yard and weeding dead hostas from around the mailbox and absorbing sun into my heavily freckled arms.

13.  Only fifty pages or so into Wise Man's Fear, but this weekend will proffer me much desired free time.

14.  If you feel like listening to a sermon that could possibly rock your world a little, then check this out.  It deals with really loving people and overcoming pride.  I don't really consider my self proud, but wow, after this I've been thinking about how much I really love people and what I do for them.  Francis Chan is an amazing preacher of the Word, and I recommend everyone give this a listen if you've got an hour or so. 

15.  Enjoy the weekend.  Don't lick the grapes.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

More Food, or Why Dove Chocolate is Better than Me, You, and your friend Lucian

Image from: http://www.thebulkstoretaylor.com/1805523.html Say one thing for logankstewart, say he loves his Dove chocolate.  The smooth, succulent complexities of dark cacao and tantalizing peanut butter.  The wonderful explosion of delight from a simple, yet refined, bit of milk chocolate.  Each bite gives clarity to the addled senses, putting life’s impossible problems into the realm of not only possibility, but simplicity, for no problem is as great when Dove chocolate is available.  Moreover, unwrapping the delectable little treats gives insight to the soul.  Beneath the foil a promise waits, hand-crafted and unique, predestined for the unwrapper alone.  With the confidence of the uplifting and poignant Promise, and the sense of purpose from the tickled taste buds, nothing will ever stand in the way…

Wanna guess what I had for breakfast this morning?  It wasn’t oatmeal.  It wasn’t a sandwich either.  No, it wasn’t that!  Well, I’m not going to spell it out for you, but suffice it to say that it started with a D, did a backflip into an O, transmogrified into a V and split itself apart to reveal an E.  Mmmmmmm.

As a boy, I did not like Sloppy Joes.  As a young man, I did not like Sloppy Joes.  As a teenager, I did not like Sloppy Joes.  I eat my food nice and neat, clean and simple, plain and basic.  Then I started dating Keisha and her mom cooked Sloppy Joes for supper one night.  In an effort to be kind and respectful, I tried them.  Guhgh.  Not the best thing by any means, but as time wore on, I gradually grew to liking them.  Always, though, I had them made from a can.

sloppy joes ii Last night I decided to cook some Sloppy Joes, but doing it without the can of Manwich and making it from scratch.  I used this recipe (super, super easy), substituting 1/4 c. of BBQ sauce for 1/4 c. of ketchup, using ground turkey instead of ground beef, and I also added a little Worcestershire sauce.  The end result was exceptional.  Sure, it took a little more time and effort than opening up a can of premade Sloppy Mix, but the minimal amount of work required was well worth it.  It’s like Manwich is a taste of what a Sloppy Joe is supposed to taste like, but falls short of the goal.  This recipe, “Sloppy Joes II,” as it’s called, was the real deal, the thing Manwich strives for.  Plus, it doesn’t depend on a can full of preservatives and sodium and other stuff that’s not good for you.  Actually, it transcends the generic, strange, mysteriously neon-red Sloppy Joe and becomes the scrumptious, correctly colored Sloppy Joe II, an albeit comparable taste, but different, too.

My tastes have definitely changed over the years.  I remember refusing to eat things with onions, peppers, beans, tomatoes, spinach, and a slew of other things.  Heck, I didn’t eat ketchup until I started dating Keisha.  Now, I’m still picky on a few things (things with odd textures, like bananas or potato salad or something), but for the most part, I’ll eat what I can get.

Random Bits & Pieces

  • Writing Wednesdays is tomorrow.  A subplot is revealed, which you can read and mostly understand without having read any of the previous cantos.
  • If you’ve not donated to fellow blogger Mattson Tomlin’s kickstarter project, you still can.  He’s pretty close to reaching his goal.  He’s also got a Hollywood producer supporting him now.  And, if that’s not enough, or if you’re just interested and have no idea what I’m talking about, you can read an interview with him about his work by following this link.
  • I’m so excited for Lost tonight!
  • I need me another piece of chocolate. 
  • Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

A Little Bit of Everything

Egads, man!  It’s not like I’m trying to go all random on you, but it just happens, y’know?  Like rain.  It just happens.  Just every once in a while my brain kicks in all random-like and stuff.  But what do you expect?  My blog’s not called Rememorandom for nothing.  First off, there’s an artist who’s captured my heart.  Ever wondered what STAR WARS would look like in a steampunk setting?  Yeah, me neither, but this guy did, and it’s awesome.
steampunk star wars
If you click on that picture or the link above you can find out more about the designer, and other works he’s done.  For those nerds out there, you’ll enjoy, as the man did some DC and Marvel characters, too.  I really like the Obi-Wan, the Stormtrooper, and Grand Moff Tarkin.  All are awesome, though.
Ever just have one of those days when a song plays over and over and over and over in your head, always the same line.  No?  Ok.  Never mind then.

Me and Alex have been working on making our own music, writing our own songs and stuff.  We’ve got one demo out right now, based on Isaiah 57:14-21.  Maybe we’ll get a finished product over the next week or two and I’ll post it up here.  I find it easier to write poetry as opposed to songs, usually, but I’m trying.
Speaking of poetry, how about I post up “isabella’s secret pt.1”?  Y’know, so you won’t think I’m all bent on dark stuff.  Cause “see the man” was dark, dude.  Dark as the outer darkness of space.  This one has a different tone.
"jetson mancer" or "isabella's secret pt. 1"

jetson mancer
was a dancer
that's how he spent his nights.
making money
with his honey
isabella poorsight.
he was comely
she was homely
but soon the two were wed.
'ere long he'd cheat
and oft repeat
with women in his bed.
isabella
had one fella
that was jetson mancer
she could not see
the treachery
and sadly got the cancer

If you’re interested, between those two poems you should be able to piece together what’s coming in Part 2.
You guys and gals wanna see the homemade muffins I made?  And by homemade I mean homemade.  From scratch.  No boxes and such rubbish.  I found the recipe from a new blogger’s site here, thought it looked good, and decided to make ‘em.  The recipe was pretty simple and it made one dozen like it was supposed to, but I lost two due to crumbling.  I guess I didn’t let them sit long enough in the trusty Pampered Chef stoneware muffin tin.  Anyway, this is how they turned out.  Rather tasty and fancy, if you ask me.  Check out the blog and the recipe if’n you’re hankering for something delicious.
muffins2 muffins3









The cold spell’s sitting strong here in Kentucky.  Heck, in most of the US it’s cold.  I guess that’s why it’s called winter?  It snowed somewhere between two to four inches last night, but thankfully most of the roads were navigable.

I got an email from the library letting me know that the complete series of Firefly is now available to me.  As a Buffy and Dr. Horrible fan, I just had to get it and watch it, especially since it’s got a huge following.
Another new blog I’ve started following is The Sound and the Fury of Kristopher A. DenbyMr. Denby shares his thoughts and ideas on various things one typically shares their thoughts and ideas on, like music, books, movies, politics, etc., but I really like his opinions.  Plus, he must have some Celtic heritage or something, and that’s a doubleplus in my book.  That, and he loved The Name of the Wind, so that sealed the deal.  (There’s a review on that book from 12/20/2009.)

There’s not much left to add.  Brandon Sanderson is doing a Q&A over at Goodreads on the Fantasy Book Club about Warbreaker.  I’m currently using 443 MB (5%) of my 7409 MB Gmail space.  Reading about the atomic bomb’s effects on Japan are heartbreaking.  I didn’t even think The Blind Side looked good, but I guess since it’s a “true” story and stuff it must be?  Why’s it making so much money?  I’m so excited for Lost’s final season to start up in February.

Yeah.  That’s about it.  Maybe something else tomorrow?  Maybe, possibly, even some musing.  People say she’s crazy she got diamonds on the soles of her shoes…

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Midnight at the Oasis, or Energy Drinks and Other Jazz

I guess I have David Wagner to blame for my current predicament. See, he’s mentioned it a few times before that he likes to drink a Monster energy drink poured over ice, which I thought was rather brilliant. Why had I never thought of anything like that before? And how much different is Monster from Diet Mt. Dew?

So I decided yesterday on my way to work, at my normal Texaco pit stop, to buy an energy drink and a cup of ice. Instead of the crazy expensive energy drinks, I focused on a $.99 one, which led me to buying two. Getting to work, pouring my drinks in ice, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

I greedily drank the first one, my mouth exploding with the rich, sweet taste of caffeine and sugar. “Egads!” I shouted, “David was right.” Before lunch had arrived, I had consumed 32oz of a high-caffeine energy drink on ice. Like 99.83% of all other energy drinks, I find their taste a mixture between pixie sticks and Sprite, thus, enjoyable. (It’s actually an odd set of descriptors. A Pixie is a fairy creature, as is a Sprite, though I don’t actually mean the energy drink tastes like fairy sticks and a fairy. Just an interesting observation.)

Nevertheless, this consumption was not without problem. Apparently caffeine makes little boys wanna go tinkle, and so I found myself in the restroom five times within four hours. I’m not sure how my bladder had so much liquid, unless the energy drink actually set up a Logan-to-Liquid factory inside me.

Of course, as I am sitting here at my desk, a new day presents itself to me. Of course, on my to work I made my mostly-typical pit stop. Of course I decided to buy a cup of ice and another energy drink.

**************

Yesterday I found this pretty sweet article titled “Inland Seas Worth Seeing: The 10 Most Amazing Lakes.” The environmental engineer inside of me was intrigued, and I decided to take a gander at these so called amazing lakes.

It was pretty unbelievable that such beautiful lakes existed on our often depicted ugly world. The pictures were, indeed, amazing. Jellyfish Lake, Palau, was featured on Survivor or something, but it looks pretty cool. I really, really liked the otherworldliness of Mono Lake, California, a hypersaline lake in our great USA. The color-changing Diego de la Haya of Costa Rica has some awesome pictures, too, as does the Dead Sea in Israel. Yes, friends, if you want to be amazed at some beautiful scenes our planet can give, check out the link provided.

****************

Our perfect puppy, Stella, made like a debutante this week, and we introduced her to a large society of fellow captured and tamed beasts. That’s right, Pet Smart was hosting a Halloween costume contest for pets, a puppy parade, and a free photo of your dog, in addition to a million coupons and free goodies. So Keisha made Stella a ballerina outfit, complete with a pink tutu, a pink feather boa, and a baby’s white tee-shirt, and we took our fluffy puppy out to see the world.

She’s been out a few times, but never with this many pets. There were dogs of all types and size, from a St. Bernard to a tiny Chihuahua. There was even a ferret on a leash. Anyway, Stella did remarkably good in the dog’s company, and she didn’t really get too agitated or anything. While she didn’t win the contest, she did get a lot of free goodies, which I’m sure is okay with her.

***************

Tonight I am going to try my hand at a new desert/snack: Sweet-Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash Wedges. You can find pictures (they look fantastic) and the recipe here. Hopefully mine turns out as good as these, and if so, I plan to have them finished around the time Keisha gets home from classes as a surprise.
It’s going to be a busy day. Clean, cook, watch Flash Forward, 30 Rock, and The Office, and possibly even Project Runway.

**********

Finally, yesterday was a very enjoyable day. Sure, I had a stomach ache, but that’s okay. Other than that, I got to hang out with a friend from high school. We had enough daylight after work to play 17 holes of disc golf, and we both shot really good. We then went to Stewartland and played a game of chess. (And man was it fun. It’s been so long since I’ve actually played real chess with someone that I forgot how much I enjoy the game.) Sadly, we ended in a stalemate, though technically I had my king and a pawn and he had just his king… Then we got out my book of Sunday crossword puzzles from the New York Times, the ridiculously difficult ones, and proceeded to almost completely solve one puzzle in around 2 hours or so. All in all, an enjoyable evening.

***********

This post has been all over the place, filled with ************ as my only transition between ideas. I know, you may think ********* is not an appropriate transition, but it works fine with me. Really, I’m not kidding. It does. Mostly. Ok, ok, I apologize for the gratuitous use of ************, it’s not like I didn’t try, but ******* just kept coming and I couldn’t stop it. (I’ve had a lot of caffeine already today, and I’ve only been awake for one hour and forty-seven minutes. Looks like it’ll be another good one.)

Friday, October 16, 2009

Cheesecake (again), and a Few Other Things

Where to start?  Last night I decided to attempt another cheesecake experiment, this time choosing to make a pumpkin cheesecake for Autumn.  This one was much simpler than the dark chocolate one, and so it didn’t take me as long.  In the end, the cake came out not as pretty as I’d hoped for, but not bad looking either.  The overall taste was great.  Smooth, sweet, and pumpkiny.  I didn’t like the softness of the crust, and if I choose to make this recipe again I’d probably bake the crust a little longer.  But the recipe was easy to follow and the results were definitely worth it.

[Windows—Virtual Memory Minimum Too Low.  Your system is low on virtual memory.  Windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file.  During this process, memory requests for some applications may be denied.  For more information…]

So.  Yeah.  Halloween’s just 15 days away.  We’re having a Halloween party at Stewartland this year.  Our neighborhood has almost a trillion kids in it, and on our street alone there are 65 (and our street’s not very long!)  So Halloween should be fun.  I’m thinking I may wear my awesome mullet again…

I decided to jump on the bandwagon with David and Crystal.  I’ve been toying with the idea for a while, but finally the inner author in me decided to take a dive.  I signed up for the NaNoWriMo challenge, which is a challenge to write and finish a 50,000 word (or more) novel during the month of November.  You can find more information about this by following the badge/link on the sidebar.

My step-dad’s having surgery today.  Back several months ago he was helping his dad cut some limbs out of a tree and he fell.  I think it was around 17ft or so up in the air.  He’s really lucky to not have more damage than he does, but he does have a lot of damage (crushed bones and the like in much of the right side). 

Speaking of lucky, check out this video of a six-month old baby surviving being hit by a train.  Apparently his stroller rolled down a ramp just as a train was heading into station and was hit.  His mother rushed to get the stroller and the train crashed into it as she was reaching for it.  Thankfully no one was hurt.

Oh, it looks like Joe Abercrombie will be shelved slightly longer than I thought.  I forgot that I have a library book to read (the next volume of The Fate of the Jedi series), but after that I’ll jump on The Last Argument of Kings.

I guess if you’re wanting to read a shout-out to why Chewie is the best sidekick in the Sci-Fi realm, you can click on this link.  The article is actually pretty dead-on and quite funny, too.  I always liked Chewbacca much better than 3PO.  That’s about it for today.  Sorry.  Maybe better luck next time.  Reviews next week!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

End Results and Other Things

For those of you who follow and read this at the Blogger site, I have a question to pose. Does the new header to the blog look okay? Should I change the font color? I kind of like it, where it looks like the words are blending with the background, but I don't know for certain. For this, I would like your input.

Any of you that read yesterday's post know that I attempted an experiment last night. The Great Cheesecake Experiment, I'm happy to say, was a success. The journey was more time consuming than I had anticipated, taking around three hours from Start Time to Oven Removal Time. This means that the cheesecake came out of the oven around 8:20pm, and then it had to cool to room temperature, so another hour-and-a-half. Then it needed to be cooled in the fridge, so I didn't even get to eat any cheesecake last night. I did, however, lick the spoons, and I knew my cheesecake would be tasty.

This morning for breakfast I cut me a slice. The knife slid into something of a density that I was expecting, so that was my first sign that I succeeded. Pulling out the piece, everything looked rich and perfect. Really, I'm not bragging, but it was probably the most beautiful cheesecake I've ever seen, and perhaps one of the best tasting ones, too, and I've had many pieces of cheesecake in my life. Perhaps there was something about having made one myself that made me like it so much.

If you like cheesecake, you have a springform pan, and you can follow directions, you should definitely make one. (The recipe can be found in yesterday's post as a link. I followed the directions exactly, with the addition of wax paper on the bottom of the springform pan.) It's a dark chocolate cheesecake, rich and full, strong and sweet in flavor, smooth and gentle to the tongue. My patience of waiting until today to have a piece paid off, and I was rewarded with an explosion of flavor beyond my expectation. I was stunned to have made such a succulent desert.

So, without further ado, I present to you some pictures, created as a slideshow. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. I couldn't find the camera, so I had to snap pictures using the video camera, which definitely doesn't have as good quality at picture taking. (If this slideshow doesn't work on Facebook, click here for a direct link to the album.)



Since I don't intend eating an entire cheesecake, I brought more than half of it in to work today. I guess it shall be weighed and judged.

Now, for another paragraph of character rambling, from Before They Are Hanged. Again, skip the paragraph if you've not read the book.

Jezal: Jezal has been an interesting character from the get-go. Starting out as a pompous noble son, there was little to like in him. Now, after going through all he has, there are traits that I really like seeing in the young lad. I think Jezal will return to try and woo Ardee, and I think that she'll admire Jezal and want him, too. I think that there is a possibility of Jezal becoming a leader, possibly even a seat on the Closed Council (or the King of the Union?), once he returns. This mostly stems from all the talks Bayaz gives on the importance of leadership thinking. Maybe the Magus was training Jezal for something important.

Well, friends, I hope you enjoyed looking at that cake. I assure you, it tastes much better than it looks, though it doesn't look too shabby, if I say so myself. Also, for those of you that don't read Dave's blog, you should go there and watch the video he's posted in his latest entry. Suffice it to say that you'll laugh very, very hard.

Song Lyric: "Broke into the old apartment. This is where we used to live."--Barenaked Ladies, The Old Apartment

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Great Cheesecake Experiment

It's Wednesday, and that means that Keisha's going to be at UofL until tomorrow night, leaving me alone with my long list of things to accomplish. Tonight, I've decided to watch some more Avatar and try my hand at baking a cheesecake.

I consider myself competent at cooking, though I have to admit that my wife is far superior to my feeble skills. However, I got it in my head that I wanted to make a cheesecake, so I looked for a recipe and found the perfect one: the Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Layered Cheesecake. I'm making it all from scratch, so it should be an eventful night for me and Stella.

Chocolate is perhaps one of Man's greatest inventions, especially dark chocolate. Sure, milk chocolate is great when mixed with nuts or peanut butter or something, but given the choice, dark chocolate is better in every way. The soothing-sweet-and-bitter creaminess of the dark is pure ecstasy to the tongue and addicting to the psyche.

I should acknowledge the significance of the day. Nine-nine-oh nine. It's been a year, a month, and a day since the last time something like this happened, but Nines are so much cooler than Eights. Today the entire remastered Beatles catalog is released, giving fans a chance to hear the albums how they were meant to be heard. Unfortunately, these cds are rather pricey, so I'll probably pass on them. Rock Band: The Beatles also comes out today, but I don't want to shell out money for Rock Band (I've grown rather tired of Guitar Hero as it is), so I'll pass. 9 comes out today, but I think I'll wait until the weekend and take Keisha to see it with me.

I'm currently trying to figure out the distance to use for my overland flow calculations. I understand the channel length parameter, but the overland flow is rather ambiguous here.

Now for a character discussion point from Before They Are Hanged. (This should be SPOILER-free, but the discourse in itself could be revealing, thus actually making it a SPOILER. If you've not read BTAH, I'd skip it.)

Quai: At first, I thought Quai was like the weak side-kick character, frail and untried. However, after many different descriptions of him throughout the journey in BTAH, I feel that there is something more to him. He looks with beady and mistrusting eyes, and is often silent and reclusive. I suspect he has doubts about his master and he wonders how much of what Bayaz is telling him is true. It will be exciting to read The Last Argument of Kings and see how he fares.

In case you're interested and unaware, you can sign up for an Amazon mailing list where they mail you their current music promotions, often titled 50 MP3 Albums for $5 Each. If you're okay with MP3s, then I recommend you check it out. The previous link will take you to the current offerings.

Wish me luck on the Great Cheesecake Experiment. I may have to take a picture and show it off, if I find it satisfactory. Remember, the US Open is on, and professional tennis is amazing.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I Love Grocery Shopping

What I'm cooking this week:

Wednesday: Manwich sloppy joes because I went shopping at 6 PM and we were already out of food. Chips and peas. Jacob had grapes until I realized he would pick up the peas and eat them. However, for every pea that made it into his mouth, three fell to the floor. Hunter was not disappointed.

Thursday: Steak, foil wrapped potatoes on the grill, spinach.

Friday: Pizza made with sausage, mushrooms, yellow peppers, and onions. Or BBQ chicken pizza. Whatever kind I feel like cooking.

Saturday: Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy if we don't ruin it again. Maybe a salad.

Sunday: BBQ Pork Loin. It's pre-seasoned so we just throw it on the grill and it comes off super tender. Jacob is going to eat some this time around; last time I thought there were more pieces left and I ate the last piece on my plate. He was still hungry. Baked potatoes and cauliflower, possibly with cheese sauce.

Monday: Hamburgers, tator tots, cabbage slaw with buttermilk dressing.

Tuesday: If I didn't make a BBQ pizza on Friday, then I will either make it today or I will make BBQ chicken with mac and cheese and fried okra.

I have grand plans to make something chocolate-y and possibly a cake-y. Maybe homemade oreos. What I really want to make are Guinness cupcakes with Baileys frosting but I lack both the alcoholic components. I also have mounds of blueberries to go through, some for baby food, but the rest is unknown. I have a recipe for pound cake or possibly a lemon yogurt blueberry loaf.

For lunch, I have a smashed chichpea salad that will go on homemade bread. If only I remembered to get some wheat flour. Seriously, I need a pantry the size of a bedroom. That would be heaven!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Getting Over the Quasi-Flu

My beloved, Keisha, has been sick for a few days now. We went to the doctor last week and he said that if she had a few more symptoms then she'd have the flu. The following day, she got more symptoms. However, since it wasn't diagnosed by a doctor, I call it the quasi-flu, as it is most likely the flu but we're not 100% sure. She's really been in a weak state, exhibiting signs such as headaches, fatigue, hot/cold switches, soreness.

Being a good husband, I went to Wal*Mart and bought some Minute Maid orange juice and some Theraflu. Minute Maid cause OJ is the way to go when you're sick; Theraflu cause Keisha didn't like Nyquil. I also made some homemade chicken noodle soup, using my own recipe and making do with what I had available.

12 cups water
1 bag egg noodles
2 thawed, boneless chicken breasts
2-3 sliced carrots stalks
2-3 sliced celery sticks
10 chicken bullion cubes
2-4 tsp parsley
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp basil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp rosemary
<1tsp ground sage
salt, pepper, garlic pepper, chopped onion to taste

I realize this looks like a lot of bullion cubes, but I didn't have any chicken broth. Furthermore, I found a recipe that said to make chicken broth, equate 1 cup water to 1 bullion cube. Anyway, mix all ingredients but noodles, bring to a boil, let boil for about 15-20 minutes, stirring, then add noodles and drop heat to low-med and stir occasionally for about 15 more minutes. Serve and eat and enjoy.

Now, a few days later, she's feeling better, and her throat still sounds hoarse/weak, but over all she's much better. In fact, she's going to go to her Girls Bible Study here pretty soon, braving the crowds.

I just wanted to document this. I don't like it when she's sick, but unfortunately it's something we have little control o'er. You can pray that her blood pressure will go down, as it was 139/108 the other day, which is pretty high.

Don't let the world move on without ya, may it do ya fine.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

The Greatness of Cornbread


I've been married for over a year and a half now. It has been the greatest year and a half of my life. I knew before I married her, my Keisha could cook. There wasn't much that she couldn't do in the kitchen, and I can tell you that if you've never had her jambalaya or orange juice cake or shepherds pie or potato soup, then you really are missing out. I'm not kidding you. My wife is a really, really good cook.

However, since we've been married, she's been unable to make satisfactory cornbread, until just recently. See, cornbread has long been one of my favorite foods, especially my mamaw's. Mamaw cooks hers in the old iron skillet, and is loaded with love and years of experience. And so, last Christmas, mamaw gave Keisha a set of iron skillets as a gift. After a few failed attempts at cornbread, she gave up. One day, thankfully, she had an epiphany and tried it again. The result was a wonderfully tasteful cornbread that I love so very much.

And since then she's been happy to make me cornbread whenever I ask, which it seems is quite a bit. She is a great cook, and I'm thankful to have her around. In addition to her cooking, my mom and mamaw, and my mother-in-law and grandmom-in-law are all wonderful cooks, and for the holidays I'm always way overstuffed.

Oh well. I just thought I'd take a moment to blog about how great cornbread is. But if you read behind and through the lines, I'm really writing about how wonderful my wife is.