Pineapple Upside Down Cake - *Home Entry*

Yeah, so…I had all these big plans to go to the Duck-A-Thon in Huntington Beach but neither Kevin or myself was feeling active enough to get out of our pajamas on Sunday, so I’m afraid you are left with a home entry. And it’s going to be a short entry at that as it was so damn easy. I will make it up to next week as Bethhead is coming to town and we have a lot of things planned.

SO YES! Pineapple Upside-down Cake! As you have probably noticed, there are a lot of normal everyday things that I have never tried. Pineapple upside-down cake is definitely on that list. I often wonder why over the course of my 32 years that I never happened to run across these everyday things. Have most of you tasted a pineapple upside-down cake, or a soufflé for that matter? Growing up, my family certainly was into trying new recipes. Ask my sister about hamburger pie. Go on, I dare you. Maybe it was the fact that pineapple upside-down cake and soufflé in their minds was so ordinary that doing odd recipes was exciting. They never took into account that odd recipes are now what I consider normal. Did anyone else grow up with cheesecake cupcakes or salisbury bougniogn (that’s so French I’m not even going to apologize for misspelling it)?

Don’t ask me how I decided on pineapple upside-down cake. I think it might have to do with the fact that pineapple upside-down cake is fun to say, like spatula and platypus are. Maybe it’s because it’s a really pretty looking cake. I don’t know about the reason but I do know that I’m going to make it again. It’s really good, especially if you aren’t usually that into sweets. Like Kevin. I’m going to side step for a quick second to tell you about an ongoing repeated conversation Kevin and I have. If I bring up donuts, either in the fact that I’m in the mood for one or that they were brought into work that day, Kevin will always always say, “I don’t like donuts.” And I will always always respond, “You don’t like donuts or you don’t like EATING donuts?” (-in reference to ones waist line) Kevin will usually shut up for a couple seconds, get a bit annoyed, and repeat that he doesn’t like donuts. But I can testify in front of a high court that I have seen him eating a donut on more than one occasion without a gun pointed to his head.

SO YES! Onto the cake!

I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com. Most of the recipes for pineapple upside-down cake involved using a skillet. Because I’m lazy modern in my cooking style, I decided that not only would I forego the skillet, I was also going to use a cake mix instead of hauling out the cake flour and such.

Just to show you how easy this was, I’m going to write out the recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure all live animals are out of the oven at this time.
   
2. Butter both cake pans and put a ¼ cup of brown sugar sprinkled over each one. Try not to sing Echo and the Bunnymen’s ‘Lips like Sugar’ when this is done or else you’ll have it in your head all night.





3. Add pineapple slices and cherries to one pan, and crushed pineapple to the other. Oh! And save the juice from the pineapple can. I guess I should have mentioned that sooner before you drained the juice down the sink, huh?
   
   
   
   
4. Make the cake mix as directed on the box. Substitute some of the water with the pineapple juice. Marvel at the Spanish directions on the other side and convince yourself that you could totally read it. Then look at the other side and realize one of the only words you got right was huevos.
   
5. Pour batter evenly into each pan. It’s ok if some of the batter makes it to your mouth.
   
   
   
   
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick (non-used preferably) comes out clean.
   
   
   
   
7. Cool for 20 minutes (the cake, not you).
   
8. Dump out cake…nicely…on top of each other so that the pineapple is looking up.
   
   
   
9. Eat. Yum.

OC Aids Walk - Anaheim, CA

Oi! I’m a day late with this entry and a dollar short. Or $15 short more like it but more on that later.

A couple of weeks ago Kevin and I were on our way to work when I made us stop at Starbucks. We didn’t have any clean travel mugs at home for my morning decaf and I was too tired to clean one out. You would think a person who has since switched to decaf wouldn’t exactly need their morning coffee, but I do. Maybe it’s the idea of coffee that gets me going, but regardless, I had to stop. The guy behind the counter was going painfully slow though I give him props as it appeared that he was the only one who showed up for work that morning. I had plenty of time to look at the most recently overpriced pounds of Columbian and $16 travel mugs that aren’t dishwasher safe. I also noticed a pamphlet for the OC Aids Walk. Normally I avoid pamphlets like the plague, but this one caught my attention as a benefit\volunteer thing is something that I’ve been meaning to do for awhile.

When I got to work I immediately signed up for the walk online. Please don’t tell my boss I was online looking for something non-work related. I also used the company email to ask co-workers to sponsor my walk by donating some funds (probably gotten from said job) to the site as well. Quite a few of my co-workers did indeed sponsor me so not only did said co-workers go online for non-work related material but also responded back to me using company email to tell me that they did. Please don’t fire me or my good hearted co-workers Boss. It was for a good cause. You should fire Tom in Accounting for looking at porn. Just kidding, we don’t have a Tom in Accounting.

Anyhow, through my co-workers, family and friends, I managed to raise $185 dollars of my $200 goal. Thank you friends, family and co-workers, you are awesome!

All I had to do was actually DO the walk, which was 5 miles. When I signed up it didn’t cross my mind that walking 5 miles would be a challenge. It’s walking after all. I figured a day at Sea World would equate to more mileage on my sneakers than a 5 mile walk would. Then I started telling people about the walk and they started looking at me like it might be hard.

“Have you been training?”

“Um, not really. I mean, I walk every day. Didn’t you just see me walk from my desk to the printer? ….and then back again?”

“You better start training.”

“Honestly? You really think so?”

“5 miles is longer than you think.”

“Well, I guess…”

When the day of the walk approached, I was a little bit nervous. 5 miles. In my head, 5 miles started seeming like 500 miles, and wouldn’t I be more comfortable if I brought a sleeping bag just in case I only make it half way?

I got to Angel’s stadium an hour before the walk was supposed to start. Since I was by myself, I just wandered around looking awkward for hour or so, checking out booths, having some lemonade and listening to the announcers announce how much more money everyone else there made than me. I finally stood right by the start line watching the marching band set up and the Army march on by.

Church or Lube? Hard choice if you ask me.

At 9:20 AM, we were off. I walked for awhile with the band and watched as the Army ran by. Show-offs.

There isn’t really much to say about the walk itself. I did it under an hour, it wasn’t bad, and I felt good for doing it. Truthfully the worst part was that I kept tearing up. Somewhere about the time I turned 25, the hormones that control my tear ducts went out of control. I seriously cry at the stupidest things, like at every ending of Little House on the Prairie (before Albert got there, before it turned to crap), like seeing an elderly woman walk across the street with a little girl, or like seeing that commercial for the Humane Society with those stupid dogs with their stupid big sad eyes looking at me saying, “take me home, I swear we won’t eat your shoes…or your cat.” Needless to say that the reason why we were all there kept my lip quivering and my eyes welling over most of the time. I’m a dork. It might also explain why I normally didn’t have anyone nearer than 10 feet around me while I was walking. Either that or I smelled funny, which is entirely possible as well.

The best part of the walk was that we got to walk on the field at Angel’s stadium. I had never been on a professional baseball field and although I’m not a big baseball fan, it was really cool. I touched the grass (it’s real!) and tried to determine if the dirt around the diamond was made from crushed lava rock (doubt it). I have told a lot of people about getting to walk on the field but no one is really impressed by this. Hmm.

After the walk we were given a bunch of free things. Coupons for free sandwiches and burritos, water bottles, Frisbees, t-shirts, energy drinks, etc. They had a band playing but I decided to head on home to beat the traffic.



All in all, it was a great experience that I am sure that I will do again. Now if you’ll excuse me, the episode where Mary goes blind is on. Send tissues.

Driving Range - Costa Mesa, CA

Before I even begin this, I’d like to mention that it’s hot. I don’t want to swear but when it’s this FUCKING hot one can’t help but do so. I apologize to all the mothers out there (Happy Mother’s Day!). We’ve been in the 90’s and 100’s for the last couple of days, which is absolutely miserable to sleep in if you don’t have an air conditioner…which we didn’t, up until Saturday that is. Kevin is currently putting it in. Since we got the cheap-o (my mother’s word by the way) air conditioner that fits normal up and down windows and we actually have the slide-y windows that California is so famous for (they’re called casement windows, I actually had to inform the gentleman at Home Depot of this. Idiots) Kevin has to do a MacGyver on it to get it to stay in the window without falling to the patio below and crushing me to death, as that’s where I normally am. Please put your hands together and wish him luck. I know I am.

SO! Yes! About the new thing this weekend…

A lot of our friends out here are golfers. I’d even go as far to say that they are avid golfers. Every time I see one of them they usually have golf shoes on, spare golf balls in their pockets, crumpled up golf card sitting on the table, and a wicked tan…even in the middle of January. For a while now, I’ve been requesting (which quickly formed to pitiful begging) to have one of them take me out golfing as my new thing of the week. A lot of the times they ignore my requests by glancing away and changing the subject to something else. Sometimes they offer me a “Maybe”. Most of the time they say, “Go to the driving range a couple times first, then we’ll talk.”


Why won't anyone take me here?

I didn’t want to go to the driving range first though. I just figured that I would be a natural. They would take me golfing the first time and I would amaze them with my hidden skill, lying silent in the little cabinet of “If only I would have tried this sooner, I would have made a million dollars by now.”

On Saturday I ran into my golfer friends again. Without a stream of conscious deeper than “heylookatthemgolfshoesIshouldgotothedrivingrangetomorrow” I boldly looked at them and said with confidence, “I think I’m going to the driving range tomorrow!” I got a few shocked looks with this statement but even more surprising to me an offer from Mari and Gunter to come with. Awesome. Gunter even volunteered to let us use his clubs.

Kevin and I met up at Mari and Gunter house at 1PM on Sunday and they took us to the Costa Mesa Golf Club. We paid $9 for a large bucket of golf balls and set up camp at one of the driving range…um, stations I guess. As this is my first time ever at a golf course (mini golf not included) I really don’t know the terminology. I’m sorry. I can’t say this experience changed that.



Gunter was the sole avid golfer in our group. He was fantastic at giving tips. Keep you feet planted. Keep your arm straight. Keep your eye on the ball even after you hit it. Head down. Legs Spread. Spin twice and kiss your grandma. I tried to remember all the rules when I took my first swing.


Gunter shows us how it's properly done. He is German after all.

Swing! And a miss.

Swing! And a miss.

Swing! And the ball hobbles 6 feet away and I run to get it.

Swing! And the ball heads in a horizontal arc directly left and almost knocks out a neighboring golfer.

Swing! And a miss.

Swing! And the ball makes it 10 feet away where I run and get it.

Swing! And the ball goes 15 yards!

Swing! And a miss. Dammit!

Obviously my hidden talent doesn’t lie in the area of golfing. But I will say that at the very end I managed to get the ball almost 100 yards a couple of times. Kevin has more of a knack for it than I do and Mari is a practically a natural. I think it helps that Gunter whispers golf tips in her ear at night.



After our bucket of balls was gone, I had a new appreciation for the game. I completely understand how frustrating it could be and at the same time I realize how fun it could be too. Kevin and I both expressed an interest in doing it again, agreeing that a bunch of times at the driving range is in order before we step foot on the actual golf course.


It will be awhile before I get to ride in one of these.

Kevin and I want to do a quick shout of thanks to Gunter for having the patience to teach us and to both Mari and Gunter for the celebratory beers afterwards. You guys rock.

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

UPDATE! The air conditioner is in! Sweet dreams for us tonight. Hell, SLEEP for us tonight!

Corona Del Mar Eating Tour - Corona Del Mar, CA

As I mentioned in a previous post, Kevin’s college buddy had been staying with us for a couple of weeks. Knowing that he was going to leave this week, I declared to both Kevin and Jeff that this past Friday night was Guy’s Night. At this announcement, they both looked at me as if my hair had caught on fire. I had to explain that two guys hanging out without the presence of one of the guys girlfriend was what they obviously needed and I was a gracious enough of a girlfriend to provide such an evening. Again, looks from both of them like lava was flowing from my nose. After more insistence and swearing that I do indeed enjoy hanging out with both of them, I finally got them to shrug and say, “Yeah, OK, sure.” I blissfully went out to the pub without them ensured that I had done the right thing.

Little did I know that they would actually go out and have a goodtime…WITHOUT ME. As the story goes, or should I say, what they divulged about the evening, they went to every restaurant on PCH in the Newport area and had an appetizer at each one. Oh the food they described! Steak skewers and sushi rolls! Happy Hour specials galore! (I’d list more food items but I can’t remember them all and I don’t want Kevin to say I gave you incorrect information). I was jealous! Oh sure, I had a good time on Friday but not an eating tour good time!

Later on Saturday afternoon, I mentioned my sadness that they had such a good time WITHOUT ME and maybe wouldn’t they want to go on another eating tour that evening WITH me? I read Dave’s Hungry Cabbie site all the time and his Five Borough Eating Tour On The Wheels Of Steel looks awesome. I wanted to do that. Jeff instantly agreed, as long as we could hit new restaurants. Kevin, still full from the night before, bulked a little bit but eventually caved to our whims.

We decided to hit the restaurants in Corona del Mar as I have never been to a single restaurant there even though it’s only 3 miles south of Costa Mesa. I never even notice that they had restaurants in Corona del Mar. The only thing I ever seem to see there are the Coffee Bean and the endless line of traffic I always see to be in. Is there ever not traffic in Corona del Mar? I’d really like to know.

We set out for our eating tour at about 3 o’ clock Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately all the restaurants down there didn’t open until 5. We headed first to The Place which is more a bar than a restaurant, but they did have food. I was in charge of ordering so I got chicken fingers and a hot dog sandwich that had a side of onion rings. When the food came the boys gave me a dirty look.

“You broke the rules!”

“What rules?”

“You ordered a meal! You can’t order a meal! That’s breaking the rules!”

“I didn’t know there were rules. I wanted a hot dog.”
“You’re never going to make it.”

“But I wanted a hot dog! It’s just a hot dog! I don’t even like onion rings, those are for you.”

“Seriously, you’re never going to make it.”

“We’ll see. I do have a Wisconsin stomach you know…”

I ate my hot dog and it was good. I also had a bite or two of the chicken fingers. I felt good. I was ready for more. It’s just a hot dog after all.


Picture before the rule breaking hot dog sandwich

At 5 we headed over to the Landmark, which is a bit of a swanky joint. Though, looking at the places we went to, I would classify them all as swanky joints. The Landmark has a really great patio area, including a futon like bench up against the wall. I tried laying on it but was told I was breaking another rule so stopped. We ordered the spinach artichoke dips that came with chips and a couple fancy martinis. The dip was good but got cold too quickly. We also noticed that they had a three course dinner for $30 most nights. While tempting, I understood the rules and knew it would be something to try some other time.


Don't break yet ANOTHER rule and lay on the bench

Afterwards we headed to the Quiet Woman. The Quiet Woman is quiet (as pictured on the sign out front) as a headless woman. Ha ha, very funny. The Quiet Woman was PACKED but we managed to score a few seats at the bar. At this point I was getting full but I dared not say anything because I didn’t want to incur the wrath of the rule mongers. We got the garlic appetizer, which was a head of roasted garlic, pita bread, and some cheese. I had a bite of cheese on pita then excused myself to have a cigarette. I purposely dawdled and by the time I returned, most of the food was gone. I didn’t care for the dish very much so it was a good thing.

We took an hour intermission at Bandera across the street from the Quiet Woman. Jeff was going into a food coma so we pumped him up with a couple espressos. Bandera was also packed so we had to resort to sitting in the waiting room rather than getting a table or sitting at the bar. The food here looks excellent by the way. I wish we had room in our bellies at this point.

Resting our bellies at Bandera

Needed intermission over, we headed up the way a bit to Oysters. I will immediately tell you that we stayed way too long at Oysters in regards to the eating tour, but my God, was it worth it. We sat right in front of the oyster shucking station and I watched in wonder as the shucker shucked oysters. After questioning him a bit at the poor state of his hands, he let me know that it’s not uncommon for him to shuck 3,000 on a busy Saturday night. That’s a whole lot of time that your hands are running under water using a little knife to cut open an oyster and gingerly place the slimly insides in position where they will look edible. Seeing as I don’t eat fish, Kevin and Jeff had to try the oysters while I went all vegetarian on their ass and ordered the edamame. It was so delicious. As were the specialty cocktails. The Pompass cocktail (Pomegranate and passion fruit vodkas mixed with citrus and pomegranate juice) can not be missed if you go. Jeff (a.k.a. Mr. Moneybags) ordered Kevin a $50.00 Hennessy Paradis but proceeded to drink most of it. I myself (Ms. Feeling like Moneybags but totally didn’t have the wallet cash to support it) spent $10 to request the restaurant band to play Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’. Man, I love that song. I love Pompass cocktails. I love Oysters. Go spend money here, please. I don’t want them to ever go away.

Mr. Shucking Oysters Guy

Pompass Cocktail...yum.

Oysters...yum..if you're into oysters. Which I'm not.

Play that funky music white boys. That comment was too easy.

After a couple of hours we realized that we really did to be moving on. Jeff and Kevin debated for awhile about the likelihood that we would be allowed into Rothchild’s due to our very casual attire. We thankfully didn’t have any problems but the fact that the kitchen was closing down did put a wrench in the food tour. I managed to flirt with the bartender enough that he had the cook make me a small Caesar salad (Read: “Hey, do-ya think I can sneak in a salad?” “Yeah, I guess that should be ok”). Jeff got a kick out of the downstairs wine cellar and Kevin and I had a nice chat with the couple sitting next to us. After my salad, we left.

Kevin at this point was very anxious to go home. He was full, he was tired, and he was broke. Jeff (hyped up still from the espressos) and I didn’t want to quit yet. We dragged him to 3-Thirty-3 for a nightcap. Boy, we should have listened to Kevin. What an awful place and a bummer that it was the last place that we went to. When we got in, Jeff went off to talk to girls and Kevin and I hung out in the foyer talking with a couple of older gentlemen, one which was celebrating his birthday and whose wife is from West Bend, WI. We weren’t having a bad time until the bouncers kicked the gentlemen out for being rowdy. They weren’t being rowdy, they were talking to us. If talking about fishing in WI is rowdy then…well, I don’t know. I’m telling you this pretty lame story so that no one ever ever ever goes to 3-Thirty-3. Don’t give them money. I want them to go away.

Please don't ever go here.

Need I say more?

We finally found Jeff and headed back home. We walked in the door and looked at each other.

“Anyone hungry?”

“Yeah, yeah we are.”

“Pizza?”

“That would be AWESOME.”

T-Shirt Making & Brunch at the Alley

Hello and happy middle of the week at the end of April in the first few months of the year! Yeah, I know…odd way to start but I was stressed for an entry opener. That’s quite literally what fell out of my head.

I finally got around to making a t-shirt as the winning entry from my New This Weekend contest. I am sad to say that it didn’t go exactly as I had planned and because of that, I felt it necessary to include another new thing I did this weekend. It’s a double post. Woo!

Anyhow, on Sunday morning I set up my supplies outside. I had my t-shirt, wax paper, exact-o knife, markers, iron (inside), and lastly, paint. I even had a big piece of tile to lie the wax paper flat on so that when I started cutting, it wouldn’t scratch the new patio table Kevin just bought us. I put the design down, taped it to the tile, and then put the wax paper on top of the design for easy tracing.


Tracing Not Optional.

Like the design? I got that off the web though I don’t remember where. I just wanted to put that out there so no one thinks I did it myself and am trying to pass it off as my own. It’s probably a company logo or something. I just thought it was funny. Chicken with iPod. Hyst-TER-ical. (wee!)

So anyhow, I started tracing with a pencil and realized immediately that I was screwed. Essentially, I didn’t read the instructions well enough and got wax paper instead of FREEZER paper. I didn’t know that there was a difference. To those out there who didn’t know there was a difference either, let me enlighten you. What am I here for but to make the mistakes so you don’t have to?

• Wax Paper: Wax paper is tissue paper that’s been coated with paraffin on both sides, making it resistant (but not impervious) to grease and moisture. Wax paper is easily compromised by liquid, it is prone to tearing, and it is not heatproof (the wax begins to melt at relatively low temperatures).
  
• Freezer (Parchment) Paper: Parchment is effectively teflon coated (on one side). It can withstand high temperature heat. According to the Orb (Internet), it is usually best to use parchment paper over wax paper in most situations.

In layman terms, I couldn’t trace anything because pencil lead and marker will not write on wax. I am grateful that they don’t write on wax because if I had forged ahead I would have ended up having to buy a new iron as the wax would have ruined it. Whew! If there’s anything this blog is teaching me, it’s not to forge ahead and use my brain for a moment or two.

Free hand sucks.

Without the stencil I was forced to free hand it. Thankfully the fabric markers turned out to be relatively easy to use and I was quite pleased with the results.

…until I decided that it looked a little boring and that I should frame the design with the 3-D fabric paint I got.

Maybe I got overconfident. Maybe I my hand slipped a bit. Regardless, I ended up with a t-shirt that at first looked like I might have bought it to a t-shirt a 4-year old could make.

Sigh.

After the framing mishap, I was done. I put the t-shirt on the dishwasher to dry and got myself ready for brunch; which is the 2nd new thing I did this weekend.

The Alley, Newport Beach

Well, not brunch….I’ve certainly done brunch before. And the Alley where we went for brunch? Yep, I’ve been there before too. But I’ve never had brunch AT the Alley. And really, it was kind of crap.

Jeff had to point out that my meal looked like boobs.

I shouldn’t say that brunch at the Alley was crap. It just wasn’t as good as other places I’ve been to for brunch. For example, the never ending Mimosas were $8.50 per person. The Village Inn (not the chain, but the little hole in the wall on Balboa Island) only charges $3.00 per person and Woody’s Wharf doesn’t charge at all (they make it up on their food prices). The brunch choices in the breakfast area were minimal, and not very good. Both Kevin and Jeff were disappointed in their lunch choices as well. We did enjoy hanging out on the patio of the Alley to make our $8.50 worth it. The waitresses were excellent at refilling our drinks which is leagues above having to almost beg the busboy to refill your drink at Woody’s.

Mimosas make every brunch that much better.

Wow. I just went in full restaurant review mode there. Sorry about that. Have a great week!

Friday. YAY!

Hi Everyone! No, I haven’t died or given up on the blog, I swear. Last weekend Kevin and I got a surprise visitor in the form of Kevin’s Old College Buddy and I got sidetracked. I bought all the supplies for the T-shirt making, t-shirts included, but never got around to putting supplies to creations. For that I am deeply sorry. In my defense of the new thing resolution, I did go to a place in Balboa that I have never been before (which is an odd statement in itself as Balboa is tiny and there are very few places there I haven’t at least walked into). Sadly it wasn’t exciting enough to make a whole entry about it. However, if you are ever in Balboa having Blue Drinks at the place formally known as Studio Café, stop in to the Shorehouse down the block. They have really nice pool tables.


Photo by Phillip Toledano

Still feeling bad about not having a real entry for you right now, I figured I could somewhat entertain you if you are still stuck at work waiting for that clock to strike ‘Friday Going Home or at least to Happy Hour’ time. Here are a few things off the web that can amuse you…at least for a few minutes:

300 Movie Trailer, PG Version:



The Love Connection’s Worst Named Guest:



Oddly wonderful Cakes


Actual cake, completely edible...this isn't even the best one.

Plumber Burns down house first day of the job:


D'oh!

Because I'm wonderfully lazy, all sites above were directed to me by Neatorama.com. Thank you Neatorama!

Anyhow, hope that gets you though the next 10 minutes. Have a great weekend!

Winners Announced!

Before I announce the winners (but if you simply can’t be patient while I widdle away at this narrative, just scroll down), choosing the winner was really, really, hard. I must be honest when I say that I will most definitely do all the finalist selections at some point. I only did get four entries, but those four people submitted a hell of a lot of great ideas.

Here were the finalist choices:

• Go out and take some photos to enter into the O.C. Fair photo competition.
  
• How about birdwatching?
  
• Griffith Observatory: http://www.griffithobs.org/
  
• Skeet shooting! Go to a gun club and shoot at some clay discs.
  
• Make a freezer paper T-shirt
  
• Go see a Roller Derby bout!
  
• Host a chili dump. Have your friends make a small batch of their favorite chili, dump it into one big pot, and enjoy!

I know! What would you choose? If only I could go to the Roller Derby while skeet shooting while all my friends made t-shirts and chili with birds on their shoulders!


Just some cool artwork I found on the web. Ell-a-phants!

So without further ado, here are the winners. Or as I like to say, the Big Wieners (trust me when I say this phrase is used in a good way):

GRAND PRIZE WINNER of a T-Shirt and a mug goes to: Natalie for her Freezer Paper T-shirt idea. CONGRATULATIONS NATALIE!

FIRST PLACE WINNER of a mug goes to Beth for her Skeet Shooting idea. If I picked the winner off of what make me laugh the most, you would definitely be taking home the grand prize.

RUNNER UP Prizes go to Robert and Ed. Both of your ideas will be used, trust me.

Happy Friday everyone, see you next week!

Tandoori Chicken - Home Entry!

I love Indian food. Well, most of it anyways. I especially love the Chicken Mahkani at Mother India in Costa Mesa. I love Mother India’s Chicken Mahkani so much that not only do I eat it at least once a month but I also subject any visitors that may come and visit me to eat at Mother India as well. I become a little bit defensive if the person I brought to Mother India doesn’t fall in love with it like I have (Hi Mom, yes, I mean you…spicy my ass) (Actually she doesn’t know about this blog…mainly because she considers ‘shut up’ to be a swear word). I love their Chicken Mahkani so deeply that even though I tell myself I will one-day order something from Mother India that isn’t Chicken Mahkani I never do. It’s really just that good. As is their daal…and garlic naan…and samosas…I hear other things are good too but I have never tried them. Oh, but their lunch buffet kinda bites. I know; it’s weird.

This weekend Kevin and I were broke. Like really broke. Like almost considered selling off the CD collection and breaking into change jar for groceries broke. But I was really in the mood for some Chicken Mahkani, which is pretty common of me to want something right at the time when I can least afford it. So I decided that I would make my own Chicken Mahkani, which I have done before but never the proper way, which is to use Tandoori Chicken. Now granted, I still couldn’t make Tandoori Chicken the way one is suppose to do it (clay oven), but I do have a BBQ grill. Clay Oven, BBQ Grill…close enough (there’s a country in Asia right now fainting at the thought).

Surprisingly, we already had most of the ingredients in the house from the last time I tried (and ‘tried’ really is the appropriate word here) so all I had to buy was the world’s most expensive chicken breasts, some yogurt, bit of ginger, and a lemon which I didn’t even use.



I first cut up the chicken into bits and soak it in a bit of lemon juice and salt. Meanwhile, Kevin mixed together all the other marinade things, except for the food coloring, which I insisted that I do just because it would be fun. Yes, I have a weird sense of the word ‘fun’.



After applying the marinade to the chicken bits, I left it in the refrigerator for what seemed like eternity. But in real life time, it was 24 hours. Believe me when I say, when you want Chicken Mahkani, 24 hours IS eternity.


My fridge, in case 'Cribs' ever wants to come to my house.

The next day I started the grill. I am embarrassed to say that after two and a half years of living in California I have become accustomed to always being able to grill outside (without freezing my ass off). It’s a luxury I take for granted. This is the round about way of me saying I’m sorry it snowed on your Easter. If it makes you feel any better, we’re in a drought which means that this summer the entire state of California will burn down to the ground that will also mean it will be uncomfortably hot (fire=hot) and we don’t have an air conditioner…or a hose big enough to handle a fire that size.


Grill and the tomato plants that can't grow fast enough.

Where was I? OH YES, the grill. So I threw the marinade pieces of chicken on there and once they were properly cooked, I began calling it Tandoori.


My name is Earl, uh, I mean 'tandoori chicken'.

From there I made the Mahkani sauce.


Ah! How many of you have Kasoori Methi in your house? OK, how about know what it is?

As you can see from the picture below, includes Asia’s ration of butter. I understand that Mahkani can also called ‘Butter Chicken’ but DAMN.


Asia's going to be pissed.

After the butter melted, I threw in everything else and let it simmer awhile. I did come to the realization that a wok probably wasn’t the best instrument to use for this as simmering Mahkani means splattered Mahkani all over stove, countertop, floor, Moe, glass of wine besides stove, cat, and I think even one of the smaller countries in Asia.



So this is the finished product. I was a bit disappointed in the sauce (which means I’m STILL in the mood for Mother India) but the Tandoori Chicken was fantastic.

No Mother India, but not bad.

CONTEST UPDATE: I will be announcing the winners of the New This Weekend Contest on Friday, April 13th. Make sure to check in and if you haven’t already, send in those entries!

Send in those entries!

I'm sorry to say that the contest will be delayed for another week as I only have 4 entries right now. I want to thank the four people who have submitted already as your ideas are very very good. Some I admit I have already done before (though not written about) and some just plain made me laugh out loud. It makes me think I should hire a creative team for this blog.

Anyhow, this weekend's new thing will be of my own creation-which at this point will be a home entry most likely. I will, without a doubt, pick the winner next Friday, April 13th even if there is still only 4 entries. But I hope to get more (hint, hint).

In case I don't write out this week's entry before then, Happy Easter!

New This Weekend Contest!

Happy April Fool’s Day! While I could say the following is an April Fool’s joke, it is not. Kevin did suggest that I come up with an elaborate story for my new thing and make you all think I jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge this weekend (and I’m sure I could have scored the convincing photos somewhere off the web for it) meanwhile doing absolute nothing and finally tell you on Friday that it was all just a joke; but that just wouldn’t be right. So in lieu of the fact that I have never held a contest and truthfully I really am running out of ideas of new things to do, I present to you the first ever New This Weekend Contest.

• TO ENTER: Submit an email (link is on the side panel) to scrabblemoe@gmail.com with your suggestion for what you would like to see me do new next weekend. Please include your name and email address (if different from the one you’re sending it from).
  
  
• PRIZES: (1) Grand Prize Winner will win a New This Weekend mug and their choice of one New This Weekend t-shirt (up to $25.00).
  (1) First Prize Winner will win a New This Weekend mug.
  (2) Runner up winners will win a New This Weekend bumper sticker.
  
  
• The Grand Prize Winner and First Prize Winner will be chosen by the best idea. Runner-up winners will be drawn from a hat (literally).
  
  
• Grand Prize Winner’s idea will be used for an entry. Most likely the First Place winners too and even more likely, ever frickin’ idea submitted unless it’s completely silly.
  
  
• RULES FOR SUBMISSION: To have your idea considered, please keep in mind that the cost of the idea cannot exceed $50.00. Ideas must be able to be done within 60 miles of Costa Mesa, CA. Please keep your ideas clean as my sister reads this site. Lastly, I’m terrified of heights so jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge just wouldn’t be done. Otherwise, I’m open for suggestions. Looking forward to what you all have in mind.
  
  
• Winners will be chosen on Friday, April 6th 2007 unless I don’t have enough valid submissions to give all the prizes too. If that is the case, then I will extend the contest a week.

OH! And feel free to enter as often as you like. And I would enter…I mean, as far as contests go, you have an excellent chance of winning…how many people really read this site? 12?

Have a great week!