Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Music of Adam-12

I've been watching Season One of Adam-12, and I notice that the same music is playing every time they go to a loud party or come up on a house or or bar full of people. It's a groovy instrumental better suited for an acid trip.

I wonder if I can find the music.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Ugh. Wasn't it just Friday? Now it's Monday, already.

It's after midnight, which means it's now Monday morning. I have spent the entire weekend working on projects from the office. This cannot be a good thing.

I'm exhausted and burnt out. I need sleep - now - and I need several hours of it.

Gnite.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Raúl Esparza, or Keeping Good "Company"

How I have never heard of this amazing performer?




I caught the production of Company and I now have a mad crush on Raúl Esparza. I'm not sure how else to describe it, other than saying that he is truly captivating on stage. Listen for yourself and tell me he isn't fantastic.










Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Kiss The Bride.... and who were those guys?

I watched Kiss The Bride. I loved it. How did I never hear about this movie before?

Philipp Karner? Oh, goodness. Very hot.



And James O'Shea? Also hot. Very hot.



And of course, the two of them together? Very, very hot.

Something to think about...

Sent to me by Cathy, and I am reposting it here because I want to remember this.

  1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

  2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 

  3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

  4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

  5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

  6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

  7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

  8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

  9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

  10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

  11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

  12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

  13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 

  14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 

  15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

  16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 

  17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 

  18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 

  19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

  20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

  21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

  22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

  23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

  24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

  25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

  26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words “In five years, will this matter?' 

  27. Forgive everyone everything. 

  28. What other people think of you is none of your business. 

  29. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

  30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

  31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

  32. Believe in miracles.

  33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

  34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

  35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

  36. Your children get only one childhood.

  37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

  38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

  39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

  40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

  41. The best is yet to come.

  42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

  43. Yield.

  44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Monday, September 14, 2009

What do you stand for?







I was listening to this song tonight and one line in particular got me thinking: "Didn't you love the things that they stood for?"

So, what do you stand for? And who inspires you to do more, be more, care and love and give more?

Today's Tunes

This is what I'm rockin' out today. I'm feeling on edge, a little more raw and tense than usual. When I'm like this,  I need my music to keep up with me.

























Chiles en Nogada

Lucky me, I was invited by Tommie to a fanastic dinner party this past Saturday. Feeling tired and worn out from a day of garage cleaning, I was tempted to back out. But Tommie was kind enough to come over and help me, so I would have been a heel to cancel at the last minute. So I went.

Oh, man. How brilliant for me that I did. I had a fantastic time. And the food was as great as the company. Without a doubt, my favorite dish was the Chiles en Nogada. Had I been unobserved, I might very well have devoured the entire platter. I understand the meal itself is quite labor intensive and usually made only for special days, but I am sharing it anyway.

And yes, Ric will be making this as soon as he gets home. Anyone else want to join us for dinner?



The recipe:
Chiles in Walnut Sauce (aka Chiles en Nogada)

adapted from Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel

 

The chiles:

6-10 large fresh poblanos

 

The garnish:

the seeds of 1 pomegranate

 

The sauce:

4 oz queso fresco, crumbled

4 oz walnuts

¾ cup heavy cream

¾ cup milk

 

The filling:

2-3 T canola oil (or lard if you're feeling sassy)

1 onion, chopped

4 oz almonds, finely chopped

1 lb ground sirloin

2 t cumin

1 T sugar

2 oz raisins

1/2 lb tomatoes, chopped

1 oz candied orange peel (should be candied citron, but I evidently cannot find that in Austin in October), finely chopped

1/2 peach, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/2 apple, peeled, seeded, and chopped

pepper

salt

 

Sauce:

Add the walnuts, cheese, cream, and milk to a blender, and puree till completely combined. Ta-da, your sauce is finished. (Note: most recipes I've found call for removing the skins from the walnuts, but I didn't bother with that step and didn't detect any real bitterness in the sauce.)

 

Chiles:

I don't get to use my normal method for roasting the chiles here since they need to remain whole so they can be stuffed. In this case, oil the chiles and roast under a broiler, turning frequently to fully blister the outside. Allow the chiles to sit in a sealed plastic bag for 15-20 minutes to let the skins loosen. After the time has elapsed, carefully peel the chiles, then split them open and remove (the majority of) their seeds.

 

Filling:

Saute the onions in oil till soft and translucent. Add the almonds and continue to saute until the nuts begin to color slightly. Add the ground sirloin, cumin, and sugar and let the meat brown. After the meat has cooked completely, stir in the peach, apple, raisins, tomatoes, and candied orange peel or citron. Continue to cook till the fruits have softened and given off their juices and those juices have largely cooked away. Season with salt to taste.

 

Assembly:

Allow the filling to cool slightly. Once cooled, carefully stuff the chile cavity with the filling, arranging the stuffed peppers on a serving tray as you go. Once all the chiles have been stuffed and arranged, drizzle the walnut sauce over the top of them. Sprinkle your hard-won pomegranate seeds all over the top of that for a beautiful presentation.

I watched Like Water for Chocolate in its original spoken Mexican with English subtitles and found it quite enjoyable. The book of the same title, on which the movie is based, is also available as an English translation. In the English version of the book at least, the ingredient list for this dish didn't quite seem to match up with the recipe (I'd be interested to know if the Spanish version of the book does a better job), but in the end it's meant to be a story, not a cookbook, so I guess it's forgivable. At any rate, if you happen to have the book in front of you, you'll notice that I took a few liberties with the recipe.

Even with the modern conveniences of pre-shelled nuts and a high-powered blender, this dish is still a bit on the labor-intensive side. In the end though, after all that work it turned out really well. The flavors were really fantastic. Poblanos vary in their heat – some are very mild, almost like bell peppers. Others are fairly spicy (maybe they were grown near jalapenos and were subject to cross-pollination). Ours turned out to be on the spicy end of the spectrum, which actually worked pretty well here. The sweet meat filling and its mildly piquant roasted chile casing were nice counterpoints to the rich creamy sauce and the tart and crunchy pomegranate seeds. It is the perfect metaphor for a richly flavored, many textured feast of a movie (well, maybe if it ended up burning in the end).



Thanks to the Hungry Engineer for the recipe.