So, struggling to come up with new and creative dinner ideas for the GF and me, I turned to the Seattle PI for some tasty recipes. The first one I tried was an absolute winner and about the easiest meal I have made in ages. This pulled chicken sandwich was tasty as they gave the recipe, but I modified a few things and it came out even better. If you add about 2 more tablespoons of vinegar and 2/3 to 1 Tablespoons (remember, 3 teaspoons to the tablespoon!) of Tabasco, the recipe really shines. I am not a big vinegar fan, even in a normal barbeque sauce, but for some reason I think it really adds to a pulled meat sandwich.
For BBQ sauce, you could make your own but that defeats the laziness factor of this (took me only 10 minutes to make). Instead, I used my favorite from-the-bottle sauce, Sweet Baby Rays. I used the original, but their spicy recipe is good too (if you use that, you can cut out most of the Tabasco). And for chicken, I did as they said (lazy!) and used a rotisserie chicken bought at Safeway.
Overall, this was a great dinner, and one big sandwich filled me up. There was enough for probably 4 generous sandwiches. Next on my list to try, this and this.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Top Nerd Movies of the Summer (Caution, spoilers?)
This isn't a ranked list, because I don't have the patience to sit and mete out the pros and cons of each film, but here are the first nerd movies I have seen this summer. So, in chronological order of when I saw them:
01. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (05/22/2008)
The first movie I saw for the summer, and it fit perfectly into the summer blockbuster, popcorn movie mold. Which is what I was expecting out of it. Maybe it's because in an attempt to bring some of my roommates up to speed we watched Temple of Doom right before we went out to see this one, but the camp and ridiculousness felt right at home in the Indiana Jones universe. I know they were these super butch action movies or whatever in every dude's mind, but c'mon. Evil monkeys? Hilarious seduction scenes? Explicit racism? Spielberg through and through.
02. Iron Man (06/12/2008)
SO much better than I anticipated it being. Robert Downey Jr. was clearly a perfect choice to embody the boozin', hard livin', reckless millionaire Tony Stark. The origin tweaks transitioned smoothly into the new universe Marvel Studios are building for their heroes.
03. The Incredible Hulk (06/13/2008)
Seeing this in a double feature with Iron Man made more sense in theory, especially because Marvel Studios is clearly gearing up for some sort of ridiculous Nick Fury movie, but the contrast between the films was, well, stark (hurr hurr). While Iron Man was both fun and retained just enough gravitas to make itself meaningful, The Incredible Hulk had a lot of dudes breaking shit. I enjoyed the parts of the Hulk that were sans Hulk, but after a while the violence grew both tedious and Michael Bay-style incomprehensible.
04. WALL-E (06/27/2008)
Pixar has had some relative misses for me (I wasn't crazy about Monsters Inc., Cars was a letdown as well), but they still produce movies that are all solidly a B- or higher in quality. Wall-E is a solid A+, if only because it is a cartoon that doesn't talk down to its audience, and in fact has no target audience. Aaah I might do a separate post on this.
05. The Dark Knight (07/18/2008)
Believe all the hype. If you could win an Oscar for casting then this movie would be a shoe in -- now that Katie Holmes is out of the picture every single character is played perfectly. Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordan, Heath Ledger is the Joker. Not the funny campy Joker of the television show, or the demented murderous Joker of Batman: The Animated Series (Mark Hamill!!), but the Joker from The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum. Demented, the perfect foil. Many of the critics say that this is a Batman movie without enough Batman, but it really felt like Batman to me, through and through. The likelihood of their being a better movie, or a movie I connect with better, this year is slim to none.
Nerd movies I have yet to see, or have yet to come out:
Wanted -- This is on my list of things to see, and it is based on a comic book that I know I should pick up, but it came out the same night as WALL-E, and I do hate seeing movies based on books I haven't read. James McAvoy could get me to break that rule, since he did it Atonement and it was totally worth it.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
God this looks pretty. The first movie actually gets worse with every repeat viewing, but Guillermo del Toro has like, money and stuff now.
X-Files: I Want to Believe
Besides being belaboured with unfortunate subtitles (X-Files: Fight the Future? C'mon Chris Carter), I'm not sure what could tie these films together. Considering the series ran for four more seasons after the first movie, I am hoping that somehow the movie can be both accessible to casual fans of the series while still tying up loose ends. Also, there'd better be a sex scene.
Also, I'm watching X-Files right now.
01. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (05/22/2008)
The first movie I saw for the summer, and it fit perfectly into the summer blockbuster, popcorn movie mold. Which is what I was expecting out of it. Maybe it's because in an attempt to bring some of my roommates up to speed we watched Temple of Doom right before we went out to see this one, but the camp and ridiculousness felt right at home in the Indiana Jones universe. I know they were these super butch action movies or whatever in every dude's mind, but c'mon. Evil monkeys? Hilarious seduction scenes? Explicit racism? Spielberg through and through.
02. Iron Man (06/12/2008)
SO much better than I anticipated it being. Robert Downey Jr. was clearly a perfect choice to embody the boozin', hard livin', reckless millionaire Tony Stark. The origin tweaks transitioned smoothly into the new universe Marvel Studios are building for their heroes.
03. The Incredible Hulk (06/13/2008)
Seeing this in a double feature with Iron Man made more sense in theory, especially because Marvel Studios is clearly gearing up for some sort of ridiculous Nick Fury movie, but the contrast between the films was, well, stark (hurr hurr). While Iron Man was both fun and retained just enough gravitas to make itself meaningful, The Incredible Hulk had a lot of dudes breaking shit. I enjoyed the parts of the Hulk that were sans Hulk, but after a while the violence grew both tedious and Michael Bay-style incomprehensible.
04. WALL-E (06/27/2008)
Pixar has had some relative misses for me (I wasn't crazy about Monsters Inc., Cars was a letdown as well), but they still produce movies that are all solidly a B- or higher in quality. Wall-E is a solid A+, if only because it is a cartoon that doesn't talk down to its audience, and in fact has no target audience. Aaah I might do a separate post on this.
05. The Dark Knight (07/18/2008)
Believe all the hype. If you could win an Oscar for casting then this movie would be a shoe in -- now that Katie Holmes is out of the picture every single character is played perfectly. Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordan, Heath Ledger is the Joker. Not the funny campy Joker of the television show, or the demented murderous Joker of Batman: The Animated Series (Mark Hamill!!), but the Joker from The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum. Demented, the perfect foil. Many of the critics say that this is a Batman movie without enough Batman, but it really felt like Batman to me, through and through. The likelihood of their being a better movie, or a movie I connect with better, this year is slim to none.
Nerd movies I have yet to see, or have yet to come out:
Wanted -- This is on my list of things to see, and it is based on a comic book that I know I should pick up, but it came out the same night as WALL-E, and I do hate seeing movies based on books I haven't read. James McAvoy could get me to break that rule, since he did it Atonement and it was totally worth it.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
God this looks pretty. The first movie actually gets worse with every repeat viewing, but Guillermo del Toro has like, money and stuff now.
X-Files: I Want to Believe
Besides being belaboured with unfortunate subtitles (X-Files: Fight the Future? C'mon Chris Carter), I'm not sure what could tie these films together. Considering the series ran for four more seasons after the first movie, I am hoping that somehow the movie can be both accessible to casual fans of the series while still tying up loose ends. Also, there'd better be a sex scene.
Also, I'm watching X-Files right now.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Sucks to be a Terp
So I guess that now means it sucks to be me. As I get ready to head up to UMD in the fall, I had planned on using my new school as an excuse to become an ACC basketball fan, but it may not be such a great idea now, as apparently Gary Williams is having trouble forming a squad.
With Gilchrist leaving and several recruits potentially not coming, the Terp's program looks to be in shambles. It's incredible to think that 6 years ago they won the national title. I'm not sure how much I want to pay for tickets now, maybe nothing...
With Gilchrist leaving and several recruits potentially not coming, the Terp's program looks to be in shambles. It's incredible to think that 6 years ago they won the national title. I'm not sure how much I want to pay for tickets now, maybe nothing...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Not a snowball's chance...
So the playoffs in baseball are four months away, but it's never too soon to start talking about October, right? Well, that's the theory the good folks over at Cool Standings ascribe to. The site gives a teams odds of making the playoffs in terms of percentages, broken down by Divisional Winner, Wild Card, and Overall.
The results right now are hardly surprising. The best team in baseball (in a fairly weak division) has the best chance of making it. The Cubbies, according to Cool Standings, have an 88.9% chance of making the tournament. And, also not surprising, my Seattle Mariners currently have the least chance of making the playoffs of any team in baseball, coming in at less than .1% But hey, we could always repeat '95! Or not...
But the fun part of Cool Standings is the individual team pages. Here you can track the day by day change in the odds of any team making the playoffs. And want that magic number? They have that too. The White Sox only have to win 108 games to guarantee themselves a spot! C'mon, cheer up Ozzie.
The algorithm that Cool Standings uses is fairly simple, but it's best just to read it over there. So enjoy tracking your team over the summer, it's pretty fun.
The results right now are hardly surprising. The best team in baseball (in a fairly weak division) has the best chance of making it. The Cubbies, according to Cool Standings, have an 88.9% chance of making the tournament. And, also not surprising, my Seattle Mariners currently have the least chance of making the playoffs of any team in baseball, coming in at less than .1% But hey, we could always repeat '95! Or not...
But the fun part of Cool Standings is the individual team pages. Here you can track the day by day change in the odds of any team making the playoffs. And want that magic number? They have that too. The White Sox only have to win 108 games to guarantee themselves a spot! C'mon, cheer up Ozzie.
The algorithm that Cool Standings uses is fairly simple, but it's best just to read it over there. So enjoy tracking your team over the summer, it's pretty fun.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Stanley Cup
Good lord, that game lasted about four and a half hours. Congrats, Penguins, on staying in good fight!
The Counter, Palo Alto, Califonia
Well, sup blag. This is contributor K, actually making a post. Since I have spent the past couple months traveling and eating, I have a backlog of posts about food I could be making, so I'll start with a delicious burger place because nothing says summer like a delicious burger.
Restaurant name: The Counter
Wobsite: The Counter Burger dot Com
The Counter appears to be a franchise that is located mostly in California, though there are locations in Plano, TX and Charlotte, NC. It's goal is to serve you a gigantic burger of your own making -- the menu is attached to a clipboard and you get to denote what toppings, size, rareness, sides, etc. you want out of lists of the possibilities. The usual choices are all present, but this is the burger that I came up with:
2/3rd pound of medium rare beef,
honey-cured bacon,
Tillamook cheddar,
sprouts,
hardboiled eggs,
peanut sauce,
honeywheat bun.
& sweet potato fries.
I know the hardboiled eggs are a little weird, but it was Easter weekend when I was there, so I was feelin' it. Anyway, it was decadent, and they have a ton of really fun and intriguing sauces and toppings and things to try, and outdoor seating nestled into Santana Row. So uh, it was delicious.
Speaking of burgers, for Memorial Day my roommates and I made some delicious burgers, about 3/4 of a pound of beef each loving fileld with green apples and bacon, with a slice of Tillamook cheddar on top. It was pretty phenom.
Restaurant name: The Counter
Wobsite: The Counter Burger dot Com
The Counter appears to be a franchise that is located mostly in California, though there are locations in Plano, TX and Charlotte, NC. It's goal is to serve you a gigantic burger of your own making -- the menu is attached to a clipboard and you get to denote what toppings, size, rareness, sides, etc. you want out of lists of the possibilities. The usual choices are all present, but this is the burger that I came up with:
2/3rd pound of medium rare beef,
honey-cured bacon,
Tillamook cheddar,
sprouts,
hardboiled eggs,
peanut sauce,
honeywheat bun.
& sweet potato fries.
I know the hardboiled eggs are a little weird, but it was Easter weekend when I was there, so I was feelin' it. Anyway, it was decadent, and they have a ton of really fun and intriguing sauces and toppings and things to try, and outdoor seating nestled into Santana Row. So uh, it was delicious.
Speaking of burgers, for Memorial Day my roommates and I made some delicious burgers, about 3/4 of a pound of beef each loving fileld with green apples and bacon, with a slice of Tillamook cheddar on top. It was pretty phenom.
Music of the Spring
So if you check out Kat's LiveJournal, you'll see that she was tagged, and then left an open-invite tag for everyone. I'm accepting that challenge. Here is the description: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now, shaping your spring.
So here they are, my seven songs and some explanation. In no particular order
So here they are, my seven songs and some explanation. In no particular order
- The Astronaut - Something Corporate: Victoria got me into these guys, and yes, I know I am behind the curve. That's just how I roll when it comes to "new" music. Regardless, this is my favorite song of theirs, and I've been listening to it obsessively.
- Violet Hill - Coldplay: Their first single from the new album "Viva la Vida, or, Death and all His Friends." Pretty catchy, not their best song, but I've been listening to it a lot.
- Symphony No. 2 - Sergei Rachmaninoff: So I heard this in concert once, and listened to it a ton right afterward and then promptly forgot it. I rediscovered it the other day at work. It's not the best symphony ever (really overly, hammer-to-the-head romantic) but it's really catchy and just altogether good to listen to.
- Peter Grimes - Benjamin Britten: I'd be remiss if I didn't put this here, as it was the basis for my senior capstone project and pretty much defined my spring.
- Heaven - Bitter:Sweet : Another recommendation from Victoria, the group (?) is kind of electronic, smooth, lounge-music. Very enjoyable, and this is one of my favorite songs of theirs. Props for featuring some bass clarinet on the album.
- Nantes - Beirut: This is a band that Kat introduced me to. Zach Conlon has an amazing warble of a voice and is backed by some melange of a Gypsy band. Hard to categorize, but they rock. The first album was great, but the new album ("Flying Club Cup") kicks all sorts of ass. This is my "Rob says go buy it" album of the year thus far.
- See you Again - Miley Cyrus: Alright, I just died inside typing that, but I cannot get this damn song out of my head. It's terrible, it's bad, but it's so freaking catchy. There, I admitted to it. I tried figuring out a song I could justify over this, and I couldn't. I am so ashamed...
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