Friday, February 26, 2010

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Buffalo Sabres fan in India?

I don't know what's more intriguing; a hip hop band from Bangalore or the fact one of them is wearing a Buffalo Sabres jersey. Is India participating in this years Winter Olympics? Yes but no hockey team. Is hockey even popular in India or are the Sabres "gangsta"?
BTW the name of the band is Low Rhyderz. It's interesting to hear American influences in other nations music. They don't sound that bad either. In fact they rap about the pride they have in their country in their 1st video. Which in my opinion is a lot better than most rap in the US. Another interesting observation is the lyrics are mostly English. 

*The original photo can be found here.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Road

Depressing yet a good read. I guess I should have known better. I knew the subject going in but I wanted to read it anyway. I could hardly ever put it down. If you have a weak stomach be careful there are a few very disturbing situations.  I'd like to give it 3 stars but the fact it kept my attention gives it 4.
+++SPOILER+++


I really have to wonder about Cormac. Some of the cannibalism goes a bit beyond obscure. Ha yeah I know...."some of the cannibalism". Does that say something about me? I'm glad the boy made it. I'd like to know a bit more about the state of the earth and how it became torched. I can assume a nuclear holocaust but could it also have been a meteor strike? Was this man made or nature?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

One Skillet Spaghetti (world famous)


This is a one skillet spaghetti recipe that was passed on to me from my step-mother Rita (rest in peace Rita). It's been my favorite spaghetti recipe since I was 16. Since that time I've engineered/mutated it several dozen times until it is what it is today.

One such mutation was brought about by Rita's mother (Loretta). One Saturday afternoon she accidentally added picante sauce instead of tomato. Maybe she wasn't wearing her glasses or had suffered a slight bump to the noggin but it added such a wild flavor I've used it ever since. You wouldn't believe the looks I get from my Italian friends but if you know me, you know I'm a one way ticket to crazy town. I'm the type of guy that throws caution to the wind. An adventurer that only knows danger as a mild annoyance and fear as something read about on the back of Lucky Charm boxes. OK here's the recipe:

Ingredients

8oz ground beef
8oz Italian Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package (7oz) ready-cut spaghetti
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes, don't drain
14oz Salsa (whatever temperature you want)
3/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup water (I eventually add more but it's guessing)
1 can (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese


Directions

I use a 12 inch 5qt skillet. It's the best size for stirring/moving all the ingredients around because it gets pretty messy in one pan. I've used smaller but it gets messier.

Brown the sausage, ground beef, and onions.

Drain the grease.

Add everything else minus the spaghetti and cheese.

Bring to a boil.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the noodles. I use about a hand full breaking the pasta in half when I add it.

Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes then start stirring about every 5 minutes.

Pay attention to the state of the noodles and the sauce they're "bathing" in, if it gets too dry in there it'll burn. Add water as necessary but don't over do it since you want a lasagna type consistency.

Once the noodles are finished (I prefer al dente) bring on the cheese.

Turn the heat off and cover. Let it sit long enough to let the cheese melt.


Notes:

Have fun and add different heats of sausage, picante sauces, cheeses, and even pasta. One of my favorites was a tomato basil linguine. It took longer and I really had to watch the water but it tasted great.
The picture I included has mild and sharp cheddar plus an Italian 5 cheese blend I picked earlier from a local grocery store (Kroger).

Guys if you can perfect this dish for a date (or wife) she will love you. I cooked this for my wife the first time she came over and it's still her favorite dish.



Saturday, February 6, 2010

Dear Christie

Please please please give this a listen. I just had 2 of the 4 band members over this evening with their promo and although the "brewery" was closed it rocked out loud.









Let me know what you think. I, for one, think this is great stuff!

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Too Late to Apologize

I want to know where Ben's glass harmonica is during the musical break.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Ambitious Brew - Maureen Ogle

An interesting book. A little dry at times but there are very interesting facts about the US's brewing history. There's even some great looks into the politics of the past and how beer held an important roll in the shaping of our country.
It also has some insight into why the US is stuck on Budweiser. Adolphus Busch and company created it for the US not to be the cheap flavorless lager it is today but a light low alcohol beverage for the "capitalist on the go". It actually cost a lot more to make it at the time. I'm happy we Americans are slowing down a bit and enjoying our food and beer.