Start wearing purple, for me, now!

Homemade pina coladas are good.
After this, it's ginger beer and rum.

Made bread! :D
Really delicious, suspiciously good for me bread. Well, if I didn't put butter on it, it'd be even better for me. Hah!
It has a very dense crumb, and hardly any bubbles inside so it is a dense loaf. The flavor is nutty and mildly sweet, with a subtle taste of grains from the wheat germ and rye flour. The next time I make this stuff I think I'm going to have to buy a packet of cracked wheat berries and toasted sunflower seed kernals and mix them into the dough.



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And under the cut is the recipe and another pic of my useless cat. :)

My girlfriends best friend had her birthday yesterday which resulted in me being woken up at 4am to go forth and get her a cake ready because my better looking half cannot cook. :(
I asked what kind of cake to make and she said "Make something special!" And then proceeded to cough up ideas for an hour. I came down to this: white cake mix with peach syrup standing in for the water filled with raspberry jam in the middle for blood topped off with her favorite musician: Violent J's face.

To get the jam in the middle, I trimmed the cakes so they had a nice flat seam in the middle and then hollowed the bottom layer about a half inch deep leaving a ring around the outside about 2 inchs wide for stability. Piped frosting around the rim and then cut the top layer of cake into a ring that matched the rim under it.

(Yes, I was kinda brain dead to remember to photograph this process.)
Stuck the ring and rimmed cakes together to make sort of a deep bowl. On the bottom the the bowl I rolled out a layer of vanilla fondant which was brushed with canola oil to help repel moisture from the raspberry jam I poured in to stand in for blood. The blood layer was about an inch deep with the fondant going up the sides. On top of the jam layer I put another piece of oil brushed fondant to seal it in and then cut the top plug of cake so the top would be smooth.

I frosted the cake and then let the frosting dry so it wouldn't be overly sticky, then used a piece of waxed paper and ever so gently buffed the top of the cake down to a smooth layer so I could put my stencil down. I used a very thin sewing needle to scratch the stencil into the frosting layer and started piping.
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I took a leaf out of Bobby's page and am running with the green stuff.
God help the plants though, I could probably kill frikkin weeds with my brown thumb.

First, I raided a construction site garbage rig and "acquired" a bunch of wood and whatnot to build a small raised garden bed of about 4x12 feet. And a big 4x4 post, I need to go back for another one and a partial to make my tomatoes hanging garden set. ^_^

Next, I went and bought a slew of little peat pot disks to set my sproutlings up in the small grow area in my closet. No, not *that* kinda grow area, although the idea intrigues me with the amount only 2-4 plants could bring in. :p
The grow area is where I grow cat grass and catnip for the kitties and gives them a sunning spot through the winter when they aren't allowed outside.

The tomatoes are the first to sprout up, and surprisingly it was the Sweeties with their tiny seeds that popped up first. The bigger Rutgers tomatoes are having a slightly harder time of it maybe? Or I'm just impatient.

The potato plants outside need absolutely no assistance other than water. heh

So I'm hoping 24 hours of sunlight will get my sprouties on their road to the big box outside, and not as mulch. That reminds me, I gotta get about 45 cubic feet of manure and soil now.

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So far, the list of veggies I've got growing/sprouting is:
Rutgers tomatos, Sweetie cherry tomatos, pumpkins, brussell sprouts, Chantenay red cored carrots, french shallots, garlic, russet potatos, basil, thyme, oregano, tabasco peppers, spinach and finally arugala.
There's a ton of ugly containers spread around my porch with hardening sproutlings in them. :)

Yup. A pink shirt.
He looks ready to leap out and gut me with his claws, doesn't he?
I will now speak to him thusly: "Awww cute oogie woogie Issac, wittle pretty boy, yes? Mmmmm pretty boy Issac, precious precious kitty!"

Yup. No idea.

Only slightly sweet, smokey and smooth going down.
This isn't Grandad or Wild Turkey, but more refined.
Delicious.

Cherry Limeade Icebox pie.
Yes, it's inspired by Sonic. And Kitashla. :D

It has puckery lime juice, sweet dark cherry juice, and LOADS of creamy deliciousness. If you're lactose intolerant like myself however, you might want to double up on those enzyme tablets before licking the plate clean. :D

Serves 8-12
You'll need:
1x large graham cracker crust (I use the Kebler Extra Portions piecrust)
1x 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1x 16 ounce container whipping cream, chilled
1x Regular box of Instant Vanilla pudding
1x bag of frozen sweetened cherries or strawberries, thawed
[You'll be using the juice of the berries so you may have to crush a few in the bag to get half a cup of sweet sweet fruity nectar. If you have access to cherry or strawberry juice without crushing, by all means use it.]
1/2 cup lime juice

Directions and photos under the cut. When the pie is ready to be served, I'll update a pic of a finished slice.
( Read more... )

And for fun, here's a pic of my useless cat shedding all over my bed.

and butter cake cupcakes with lemon frosting and chocolate cream of wheat.
Annnnd I scratched myself. Yeah, there.
You know the chemical compound in peppers that burns?
Apparently it survives extensive handwashing.

Caliente juevos, ay yai yai!

Abe's Chili:
3 anaheim chilis
6 good sized jalapenos
1 large yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 can of ancho chilis
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatos
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon cayanne pepper powder
4 tablespoons chili powder - more or less on your tastes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 quart beef stock
1 pound stew beef - make sure there's some beef fat on it
1 pound pork steak - lean is okay
2 tablespoons butter
Sam Adams or your favorite beer - plus more for keeping the cook happy.
Oregano, Cilantro, Basil, various herbs.


Brown the meat in a large kettle, enough for a gallon(you'll need the space). Dust with a dash of cumin and whatever herbs you like. I prefer cilantro, basil and oregano. Throw in a knob of butter and some beer to deglaze the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Drink the rest of the beer as you stir.

Roast the peppers over gas grill outside while drinking beer at 8am. Scratch yourself in full view of the neighbors mowing lawn. Wave. Make sure you smile, it creeps them out.

Finish beer. Take peppers inside and halve them. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Mince the peppers, onions, garlic, ancho chilis into 1/4 inch pieces and plop into a warmed pot with butter coating the bottom.

Wash hands.
Wash hands again. I cannot stress this enough.

Cook over medium low heat until veggies are translucent and the onions have carmelized. Add spices and stir gently, breaking apart clumps. Allow to cook over medium low for 15 minutes while you do the dishes so your kitchen doesn't reek like a jalapeno peppers ass.

Add tomatos, sauce, sugar, beef stock and soy sauce. Stir gently and allow to come to a simmer over medium low heat. Add half a bottle of beer and let simmer for the next 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with cornbread and cheese.

http://community.livejournal.com/food_porn/tag/bao

Been out of town for a couple days visiting my girlfriends dad and his soon to be bride. It was fun, although having to cook kosher wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Then there was the moment of awkward silence when her dad asked generally: "Anyone know what a bris is?" and me and my big mouth shoot off: "Yeah, it's a ceremony where they cut off the head of your prick and offer it to their god like calamari."

Total silence.
Hear that, sprint dropped a pin.

Then their rabbi starts laughing so hard he falls off his chair and turns beet red. I'm thinking I'm going to the special jewish hell to serve some purgatory time when the rabbi fimishs laughing and says that calamari isn't technically kosher. But it's tasty anyway.

Anyhoo, happy Innaug Day to everyone. :)

no thanks to my puter taking a giant dump. AUGH.
when you're replacing a couple hard drives, a new video card, usb cards reader, couple extra parts, your puter may not post on boot and you'll be boned.

happened to me. BLEH.

I'll post pics in a bit.

btw, hooray for newegg for rush shipments on RMA stuff.

Hi everyone!
Yes I'm still alive and kicking, and I even just shaved.
Actually just shaved with my fairly new razor I got for christmas. :D Smoothest shave I've had in a LONG time. I'm still figuring out the angles to use for this thing but so far it's like silk, except for just under my jawline. My big ol' paws can't fit the razor in there quite right, so working on figuring the angle without cutting my neck open. :p

The razor is smaller than it looks in the ordering photos, or maybe my hands are just big paws. It's also got quite the heft to it so it's a relief to be using something that doesn't feel like you're twirling a weightless pencil stub across your face. The blades are pretty simple, very lightweight, and incredibly sharp. Do not load a razor unless you're fully awake or you'll get little slashs on your fingertips.

Razor pics: ( Read more... )

I also adopted another kitty.
Her name was Sweety at first, but she's been renamed to Vicious. Or shorthand: Bitch.
She's a cute, but evil little runty kitty. She's also a glutten and she eats almost as much as my big male Issac. Poo's as much as he does too. It's sad, but I pick her up and love on her and tell her she's full of crap when she's scampering toward the litterbox. I get the look of death when I do that.

She and Issac play a lot, chasing each other around all over and in general being destructive and weird. They enjoy poking me with their paws when I am supposed to feed them in the morning. This doesn't really have a set time, it's just when they're hungry.
Occasionally, I'll get annoyed and "play" with them, usually with the laser and running them into the wall as they chase it(they don't hit the wall, they're just shocked that it just is THERE) or when one of them has taken the "Let's bite the food guy so he feeds us" routine too far I'll sentence them to my laundry hamper for half an hour. Apparently my socks are pretty bad punishment.

Kittehs:( Read more... )

I've been gardening some, and grew some carrots. The garlic rotted(Boo!) and the onions need to grow more, but so far, so good.

( Read more... )
Behind the cuts are pics. :)

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A Vero Beach man is accused of assaulting his girlfriend multiple times with a McDonald's cheeseburger, according to his arrest affidavit.

The woman told the Indian River County Sheriff's Office she was sitting a car in front of the home she shares with Vincent Gonzalez, 22, of the 300 block of 12th Road, Vero Beach. The couple began arguing and Gonzalez would not allow her to leave the car, the affidavit said. The woman threw Gonzalez's drink out of the car, the report said. In response, Gonzalez grabbed the woman's arm and forced the cheeseburger into her face, the report said. Both of them stepped out of the vehicle and Gonzalez smashed the cheeseburger again into the woman's face.

Deputies charged Gonzalez with battery domestic violence. He remained in the Indian River County Jail Wednesday in lieu of $1,000 bail.

Source, Of Course
Reminds me of this article.
And for some extra fail: Store owner shot 2 days after his brother was shot for the second time

Really, today has been pretty good, aside from my furball laying down on a hard candy and having it stuck to his leg.
So what's been up with me lately.
Murphy's law has been kicking me square in the jimmy.
The worst that could happen, will happen.

Take last tuesday. I'm thinking: "Oh, puny leetal storm, not even hurricane strength. Ugh shall laugh at you now. Hah Hah Hah."
Little did Ugh, my inner caveman, know that he'd be watching parts of trees go sailing by in the canal in his backyard and having to fill sandbags and clean debris out of the storm drain in the middle of torrential rains. That and the shop I work out of flooded out because of some engineer from Sams Club had routed the drain field pipe from their half mile square parking lot directly into the storm system under the shop. Which meant that the shop flooded from below, not the accumulated rain. Joy.
Cue me working wednesday, thursday and friday in flooded areas fixing air conditioners that drowned and salvaging a shop worth of equipment. Oh joy, oh happy joy. I think I may have trench foot. I'm slathering on the Bag Balm and foot fungus cream. Blech.

Right now I'm sitting here drinking fresh pineapple juice and listening to the pot on the stove simmer. Making a corned beef with potatos, parsnips, onions and carrots. No cabbage, don't wanna die. :p
I've been seeing a gal named Ashley lately. She's cute, sorta plump(okay, so I'm a chubby chaser) smart, and she's a bookworm. And she wears librarian glasses with her hair in pigtails with shock red lipstick. It's like a nerds dream. Unf unf unf. It's nice to have someone to talk to that actually understands when I use bigger words and doesn't continually tell me to dumb it down. She sees me doing my college homework and quizzes me on things she thinks are esoteric and I've missed. It's really reassuring. :)
Oh yeah, she's also 21. o_O
I've been called a cradle robber, chester the molester, and most laughingly the playground pervert. Guess the gals in the office don't like it when she's younger than they are. Heh. Anyhoo...
That's my life in a nutshell for the last couple weeks.

Oh yeah... I burned the game "Space Seige" from the Bay, and it's actually a pretty fun little shoot em up. Not worth the $45 they want for it, but it's enjoyable after working and you just want some mindless destruction. Played Mass Effect twice through on the hard settings, but the hour long firefights started wearing on me and my mouse. Really liked it though. :D
Been goofing off with the pre-release of SPORE, the game, not just the critter creator, and lemme tell you: it's worth the money. The first stage of life as a microbe is cheesy and arcade-like, but fun. The creature and tribal life stages are, to me, the most interesting. Imagine your pack of little tribals going after something the size of a blue whale with pointy sticks. There is a LOT of dark humor in it.The city stage has been lots of managment and you have to practice a lot of critical thinking with regards to resources and warfare. However, it's not all about brawn; if you made creatures that use stealth you can win through "spying and subterfuge." Your creatures attributes dictate the style of warfare and their civilization parameters. Haven't gotten much past this stage in the game yet. It's coming soon though. :)

Does anyone here have a copy of Vampire the Masquarade: Bloodlines I could borrow for a week?

I'm turning into a crazy cat lady, sans boobs. :p
( For people not sickened by my cat )

mood: crazy

well, more like I was bored, and read an article about "Mansinthe" which annyed the hell out of me thinking the man is making a buck off stuff people cut their ears on.
okay, I'm tired and rambling. heh.

So I ordered a kit from GreenDevil.com and it got here in two days. Natch fast! I added it to the required alcohol bases and jugged it up. Now i'm looking in at it as it sits in my pantry for the next week more or less before I decant it and add more things to macerate in. This is better explained with pictures as my wording may be slurred. :p

So photos. Below the cut.
( Snip snip snip )

I'll post photos when I decant and ready the stuff for display. :p

mood: artistic

Sometime deep down, a fire seems just right for helping us get the world back into perspective.
I've been doing my own little slice of "My Name Is Earl" and saying sorry for what I've done in the past is hard to say, and it seems harder to accept, especially if it's not remembered.

Couple photos from tonight, and now it's bedtime.



( 3 more under here )

Good night.

mood: tired
music: Theory of a Deadman - Bad Girlfriend

Tired, ears hurting.

Found a new song I like.


Not really work safe, but good for when you're not overly happy.

mood: drained
music: Rehab - Sittin' at a Bar

Head bangin bad assed eighties rock.
"Highway to hell!"
Especially when I'm reliving in my head my happy heydays of ripping around the countryside of a completely different world and being paid to do so.

Looking into my life with the aid of a couple of drinks and some time alone to wander around inside my head with the prodding of an outsider, it occurs to me that frankly, I shouldn't be alive and since I am, I'm most certainly lucky, and fucked in the head. However my luck seems to be, until recently, kinda uneven.
I've been in and out and back and forth in the adult world from the military to being a compusa nerd to running a high crime 7-11 to where I am now. I've survived being shot, burned, stabbed, fragmented, and left behind. My mind and body are somewhat whole, but the parts that are gone seem to have taken something from me in the respect that where normal men fear, I only become annoyed. where normal men tremble in fear and despair, I get angry, where the world quakes in wretched cowardice, I'm looking to settle a kill. What is wrong with me? Feels like my fear has been burned out by anger and the anger hasn't festered, but settled in like a wild animal that sleeps growling in it's cage with the door swinging loosely on two rusty hinges.
What exactly is fear anyway? That cold sweaty feeling you get on your palms and the bottom of your feet? The panicky feelings that some people get when they walk into a 7-11 and there's a person giving you the evil eye? The man who points a gun at you without angert, but resignation? I've forgotten how to fear it seems in normal ways. I fear for others, the ones who can't raise themselves into animals like myself. The flock as it were, and I am a sheepdog, only more feral. But what use does polite society have for such a sheepdog? The wolves stalk not in the quiet moonlight but in full sun, their teeth glistening and reflecting with the saliva that comes with the need for flesh.

I can still smell the grit and the rock and the sweat tanged stink of my buddies in that hot desert air out there. The laughter,t he bullshitting, the pure aggressive natures of men removed from societal norms and set loose upon the sheepdogs of other packs, modern day werewolves that wear ties and drink beer in their spare time back in the 'real world.' Some call it anxiety that I look and look for something that's not there when I'm looking for my old rifle but I call it trying to find a friend in this messed up world, someone I can depend on. Well, it's not a someone, but a something, but it's almost the same. My best friend was my rifle and I miss it somedays out there.

I am not a hero.
I never wanted to be a hero.
To be a hero means to live through and persevere through horrors no man should have to witness, smell, and touch. I never wanted to be a fucking hero. The hero always dies in the end, broken and alone and far away from the light he once held dear and what then? A flag from the White House, an old hand grenade, brass casings taken from the places heroism died off; killed by stark reality and bitter anger. What then for the hero? A news blurb on CNN about how so many war hero's are suffering in silence from their inner wounds, the wounds upon their minds which forever change them from people that were once mild to chimeras of veritable armageddeon.
So what then?
Yeah, I never wanted to be a hero, never want to say I am one, never want to climb upon a high mountain somewhere and hear my name called out.
I think it's better to be just one of the sheepdogs. Not a hero.

I often wonder why it is these internet buddhists think so much on the whole universe thing and the like. Don't they realize that they're overthinking this a little too much, that the universe isn't unfeeling isn't rightm, wrong or pissed off. It just IS. I am a buddhist soldier. A man whose mental and spiritual dichotomy is so deep and staggering that philosophers cannot seem to understand that I am able to exist without being schitzophrenic and deranged. To be honest, I'm not sure either. Then again, I'm not really supposed to think much on the universe either, just to be at peace one moment and the next a tornado of pain.

I miss my little brother.
I miss the fact that the fucking moron got to run free and do all the bullshit I never got to do because i was being responsible and doing my job of being the first born. He got the nice looking air headed chicks, pot, played baseball, and just ran wild. I had to work hard, study, and break my balls off finding my way without a father figure except the writings of men and women that I could feel were my ideals to live toward.
I still do miss that little fucking moron. Well, one day I think I'll see him, if not, it was nice knowing you bro. I just wished that you weren't such a fuckup and died early.

I'm okay with my life, but it needs some improvements and some serious changes.
When I can wake up and roll over to see someone i love and not just my dog, I think i'll be better.
Till then, I think I'm just going to kick the worlds ass some more.

mood: Memories
music: ACDC - Highway to Hell