Month: January 2012
Peter Poster Picked a POPper: Hobbit, Arrested Development, Portlandia + More
* New Hobbit still to start your Tuesday morning right. Chip the glasses and crack the plates – that’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!
Photo credit to Blastr
* Fox News accused the Muppets of being Communists. Naturally, Kermit and Ms. Piggy staged a press conference to respond to such nonsensical allegations. It goes without saying that they get the last laugh. [MSNBC]
* Moving into our Star Wars segment of the morning, Chris Pratt of Parks and Rec has a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader in a new ad for Kinect. It’s okay. He wasn’t ever my favorite on P&R, but he has grown on me. [AdWeek]
* And a grown ass man decided to attack people in a Toys R Us with lightsabers in Portland, Oregon yesterday. He was practicing to be a Jedi. Because all Jedi’s train in children’s toy stores. It’s where real evil lurks. [MSNBC]
* Moleskine journals were never used by Hemingway. They were created as we know them in the very recent year of 1997, for crap’s sake. And they’re only “legendary” because that’s the advertising word they chose to go with. As opposed to “blank”. That being said, I need to start keeping a journal so I can get my hands on one of these sweeeet Moleskin Lego books. [Wired]
Photo credit Moleskine.com
* Just so that everyone understands, the entire cast of Arrested Development is TOTALLY in for the new season. I feel like this is kind of a moot point. We know they’re all in, we can’t freakin’ wait. Get on with it. [HuffingtonPost]
* A letter from J.R.R.Tolkien recently sold at auction for almost $2700. The letter was to a couple he met while Tolkien was on vacation with his wife. There was a time when people were polite and genuine. You didn’t have to deal with others, you simply got to spend time with them. My how times have changed. Grumble. Grumble. [Blastr]
* Bubbler crabs in Malaysia have been filmed creating little galaxies of sand-and-spit bubbles. It’s all so freakin’ adorable. [Buzzfeed]
* Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein can’t get enough of Rock n’ Roll. The Portlandia duo’s newest music spot: covering DEVO. And it’s awesome, of course. [CoverMeSongs]
* Canadian Skier and X-Games pioneer Sarah Burke passed away recently due to injuries suffered while training on a half-pipe. He untimely death has caused even further scrutiny of the American health care system – or lack thereof. The medical bills incurred due to trying to save her life in an American hospital are expected to reach over $200,000. As so often seen in this corrupt nation, the emotionally debilitating stress of having a sick or dying loved one is compounded by the rest of the family having to lose their home or go into bankruptcy to simply pay medical expenses, even though that individual might be a tax payer or contributing member of society. Had Burke fallen in Canada, her expenses would have been paid. In fact, had she been hurt in almost any other nation with an economy similar to that of the United States’, her medical expenses would have been paid. So, what are we doing here? I for one don’t make much money at all, but I would be happy for my taxes to increase 3+ percent so that I would not have to worry about health care costs or my loved ones needing medical care or my father’s cancer treatment. A charity fund has been set up in Sarah’s name; donations have exceded the expected costs of hospital bills and the remainder will be given to other charities. [MSNBC]
* And, finally, speaking of money, what do the wealthiest of Hollywood Stars do with all of their millions? New York Magazinerecently spoke with “…a high-level Hollywood money manager…” in an attempt to gain perspective on exactly where millions can possibly be spent by one person in a single year. Check out the break down below. It’s just a little infuriating. [NYMag]
Honey Butter Almond Pancakes
This all started because I woke up wanting waffles. We have no waffle iron and I find most experiences of getting waffles out at a restaurant ultimately disappointing. Be that as it may, I crave waffles no less than 164 times a year. I eat them maybe once a year. And, generally, only in the lobby breakfast area of a Holiday Hotel Inn “continental” breakfast nook.
Inevitably, I wind up making pancakes for myself at home approximately bi-monthly. It soothes the rage of Waffle-Want, but only for a brief period. So, low and behold, before long I wake up wanting waffles.
“I want waffles!” I demanded, sitting straight up in bed.
“Make pancakes…” moaned my ever patient husband, used to the tumultuous need for waffles ever present in our marriage.
I padded down the hall to the kitchen, threw open the cupboards and found – NO Bisquik.
Shit.
I stomped back to bed and crawled under the blankets, defeated.
“Why don’t you just make pancakes from scratch?” My smart ass husband interjected into my moody undercover bitching.
“What am I : a lumberjack?!” I snarled back.
“My father used to make pancakes from scratch all the time,” Chip defended.
“YOUR FATHER WAS A LUMBERJACK!” I roared. His dad really was a lumberjack, I wasn’t kidding.
“So? It can still be done,” answered my husband quietly smiling, like the personification of The Little Book of Calm.
Well, since he put it that way, I thought maybe it can be done. And so that’s what I did: I bucked up and made some pancakes from scratch.
Fluffy Honey Butter Pancakes
The trick to fluffy, light pancakes to to leave your batter void of any eggs. You want thin, dense pancakes? Good for you; add an egg or two. Me? I like my pancakes about as dense as I like people, i.e. not at all.
- 1 cup milk
- 2 TBSP white vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 TBSP honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- 1 TBSP Almond butter, if you got it/want it. It’s totally optional.
- 2 TBSP butter, melted
Combine the milk and vinegar and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder & soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then whisk in the milk and vinegar mixture, butter, honey, extract, and almond butter if using. If the mixture seems to dry, add milk at a tablespoon at a time, up to an additional 1/4 cup. It should be relatively thick, but smooth, and pour slowly, but smoothly off the whisk. Heat a pan, skillet, whatevs, over medium-medium high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray even if the pan is non-stick. Once bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and the first few pop, check the underside with a spatula. If the bottom is golden brown, flip and continue cooking an additional 1 minute to 1.5 minutes.
This will feed two ridiculously hungry adults, but they will have to take a serious nap in order to digest it. I recommend making this for 3-4 people.
Then keep your breakfast classy by serving with bacon and Aunt Jemima, but only if you’re out of Mrs. Buttersworth.
Please excuse the poor quality of this photo. As I was setting it up, I noticed my super chubbs kitty (Polly) suddenly hiding behind our mini plant in an attempt to score some bacon and maple syrup.
Guerrilla Pop Fare: Torchwood, Star Wars, & Ferris Bueller
* First things first: Eve Myles recently hinted to a 2013 Torchwood movie. This would truly make 2013 THE year for movies (Hobbit: Part II, Star Trek, Torchwood?!). Cult Box recently interviewed the super badass heroin, who mentioned:
“Nothing’s going to happen in 2012, I know that much for sure. But who knows what will happen in 2013. Maybe a movie, to kinda draw a line under it.”
Okay, so this is pretty vague, but still. What does that “…to kinda draw a line under it” thing mean? Is that some special Welsh saying that indicates something like “By ‘maybe’ I mean ‘definitely’ “? Because that would be awesome. [Blastr]
* Because Koreans are geniuses at marketing I bring you a Darth Vader who really has to tinkle.
* Speaking of Star Wars, Potter Barn Kids really wants me (and nerds every where) to spawn. [PBK]
Photo credit Pottery Barn Kids
* And also, also in Star Wars news, shipwreck hunters have found a Millenium Falcon shaped item on the bottom of the Baltic sea. SQUEE! [Telegraph]
* So, in 2009 The Hangover came out and people had their pants charmed off by Zach Galifianakis. Maybe ‘charmed’ isn’t the right word. It doesn’t matter. Then Part Two came out, in which Bradley Pooper Cooper literally had the line “Oh, no. It’s happening again.” >cough-LAME-cough< And now, Helms joins the previously two mentioned stars in talks to contract a third film. Super, super unnecessary, Hollywood. We get it: You guys are REALLY out of ideas. [HollywoodReporter]
* In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Fran Dresher said she believed both she and her husband were abducted by aliens. Which explains her voice. [HuffingtonPost]
* I’m kind of over ironic facial hair. Actually, I’m really over the entire ironic movement, but the mustachioed continue to persevere. This year offers an International Mustache Film Festival. Who knew mustaches could act? Well, I guess it’s obvious in Burt Reynold’s case… [Movieline]
* Super Bowl Fever is upon us!…well, it’s on some people. It’s not on me; I couldn’t possibly care less about American Football. BUT there is a 10 second teaser ad out hinting toward a Ferris Bueller sequel. In the brief ad I can’t tell what they’re selling, but I can definitely tell you I’m not buying. [Daily Mail]
* Sunday and Wild Life are two animated shorts, both of which are up for Oscars, and available online. [HuffingtonPost]
Don’t Worry; Be POPpy! Doctor Who, Sherlock, & More!
* “Hello, Sweetie.” And I’m still freaking out about the Doctor Who video game. How good could it possibly be? Do I care if it’s not any good? I just want it NOW! New info: You get to be Dr. Riversong, or Melody Pond as it were. You have to have a PS3 or a PC to play it; XBox and Wii are left out of play time.
* Marky Ramone’s leather jacket is up for auction! This is an incredible, almost unbelievable item – especially since Marky says it’s not his. [WSJ]
* You know what’s GREAT? BBC’s Sherlock! You know what is proven time and time again to be completely shitty? The American studio mania over remaking that which the British already does well. CBS thinks it’s going to remake Sherlock. My personal thoughts on this are “Screw you, CBS,” – but I am not alone! Producers of the BBC program had been asked for American licensing, and , because they’re not stupid, they turned CBS down for the request. Now they are planning on moving forward to sue the Columbia Broadcasting System if the American Sherlock in any way resembles the BBC one. Why can’t we just embrace BBC America with open arms, people?! [Blastr]
* Humans aren’t the only mammals who hate paparazzi. Extremely rare and uncommonly photographed, a couple of snow leopards in the wilds of Tajikistan decided to steal one of eleven cameras setup to document the elusive cat. It’s nice to see a species on earth who isn’t an attention whore. [Inquistr]
Photo Credit Inquistr
* Speaking of attention whores, Miley Cyrus is an idiot who couldn’t scream louder for attention if she tried.
* Zachary Quinto told E! that he would like to return to American Horror Story. Personally, I believe that thicked-haired hunk of man meat needs to keep focus and his eyes on the prize: The Star Trek sequel. Once that’s squared away, then I will allow him to have outside interests. [E!]
* Speaking of Star Trek, a man who spent waaaaay too much time and energy Almost $160,000 on turning a 500-square-foot apartment into a TNG version Enterprise is – shocker! – being divorced by his wife. This isn’t the heart breaking part. The heart break is the fact that the custom decor must be completely torn down, because it’s his wife who owns and pays the mortgage for his little obsession is no longer supporting a deadbeat man-child. I mean, she needs to move on. And that’s coming from someone who would love a TNG apartment. [Blastr]
* Ricky Gervais can’t get enough work these days. His Science channel series (Yes, Gervais and the Science Channel are working together), An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List, is doing exceptionally well. Haven’t heard of it before? You’re not alone, but numbers on proving that the show is catching on fast. You can watch it on Saturdays, 10pm eastern. Me? I just really want to see Life’s Too Short. [TheHollywoodReporter]
* I happen to love Louis C. K., both the man and his show. People magazine, however, has writers on staff who very obviously have no clue what their subject matter is. And, one of the first rules of writing is if you don’t know anything about it, don’t write it. That is the worst description of everything Louie that I’ve ever read. [People]
* And, it’s finally happened: For the first time in Disney’s history, employees are finally allowed to sport facial hair. Never mind the fact that Walt himself had that rather prolific mustache, apparently he was a total dick about everyone else getting to sport some manly fuzz. [CBSNews]
Photo Credit WeHeartIt
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Like mayor Quimby, I would vote for you if you were nominated!
http://www.statesman.com/marketing/20122012-statesman-social-media-awards-2045908.html
Chicken Scampi Twist: Creamy & Spicy!
I made shrimp scampi last weekend and it was A. May. Zing. This is not that recipe, but I will add that soon.
Since the shrimp, however, I’ve been craving scampi again, but my boyfriend isn’t much of a seafood guy. So, I relent: I get to make scampi and he gets to eat it with chicken.
The thing about Shrimp scampi is that it’s lighter to accentuate the natural flavor of the shell fish. Chicken is versatile because it’s natural flavor is next to nil. The simplicity of the basic shrimp scampi sauce is too delicate and and dry for chicken, so I decided to make a bit of a creamy base and a dash of red pepper to give the chicken a bit of an oomph.
My first pet peeve of standard chicken scampi: ghostly chicken. I like my chicken browned. On top of being more visually appetizing, browning the chicken will leave delicious brown bits in the pan that I can add to flavor sauce. This doesn’t cook the chicken through!I I’m just browning it. As I’ve mentioned in other recipes, I also don’t like when things are needlessly oily or fatty. Yes, butter is totally marvelous, but that doesn’t mean we have to drown in it. I’m not even referring to this in a healthy way; too much is just not appetizing. With this recipe I reduced the oil and butter significantly: Your average scampi calls for 2 cups of butter or 1 cup butter with a 1/4 olive oil. This recipe uses a mere 4 TBSPs of butter and 1 TBSP of olive oil. And it was freakin’ awesome.
I took…
8oz chicken tenderloins, rinsed and dried
2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
I mixed together the salt, pepper, and flour, and dredged the chicken tenders in it, shaking off an excess. I then browned the chicken over medium high heat in oil, about 2 minutes per side.
After my chicken was golden and piled high, it was time to start on the sauce!
1/3 cups milk
4 TBSP butter, tossing two TBSPs in the left over flour dredge
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lemon
salt
black pepper
I Then deglazed the pan in a way I’ve never done before: Turning off the heat I poured 1/3 milk into the pan, whisking constantly – I wanted to deglaze, not cook my milk. Once the bubbling subsided, about 30 seconds, I whisked in the butter coated in flour. This was the start of my sauce. Turning the heat back on to medium I added the rest of the butter. Immediately followed the wine, stock, garlic, red pepper, and parsley. Then I reincorporated the chicken to continue cooking through while in the the tweaked scampi.
After 7 minutes, I removed the chicken, now cooked through, and reduced the sauce. I whisked in the Parmesan cheese, squeezed in the juice of 1/2 lemon, and added salt and pepper to taste. Served with 8oz pasta, garlic bread, and steamed asparagus, this was an exciting, flavorful, and filling twist on basic scampi. It was so delicious, I’m not sure I’ll have scampi with with shrimp again.
*Side note: Seriously, this was fantastic. It came out so good that even 24 hours later I can’t stop thinking about it.
*T-Rex also enjoyed the scampi
Sugar Cookies with Spice!
When I need something to do I write or cook. I’m not a big baker, but every once in a while I try a new kind of cookie, because….well, why the hell not.
Sugar cookies can be a bitch to make. Too crunchy, sometimes flavorless, a good, chewy, and creamy sugar cookie can be harder to achieve than you might think. So, I looked at this as more of an afternoon science experiment than a baking endeavor.
The flavors I picked are what I gravitate toward on a perfect autumn day. Naturally, I picked an 80 degree day in January to bake them. You see, Austin no longer has seasons; I just have to pretend that there’s fall and winter. It’s been years since I made a good stew, because I struggle to see the point. Sometimes I think I gotta move back to New England…and none of that has anything to do with cookies.
So for this I just took a very basic sugar cookie recipe, blended it with tips from America’s Test Kitchen, and added some spunk in the form of flavors I personally like.
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 oz. cream cheese
6 TBSP butter, melted
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 egg
1 TBSP milk
An additional 1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ginger to roll onto cookie dough.
The beginning was the usual mundane of baking cookies: I preheated the oven to 350.
I mixed the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. I threw the 1 1/2 cups sugar, the cream cheese, and spices in a large mixing bowl with the melted butter. The warm butter helped breakdown the cream cheese. I stirred this together and then added the egg and milk and blended until incorporated. Finally, I dumped in the flour mixture and stirred everything until it formed a smooth dough.
I then rolled the dough into 24 balls and rolled those into the 1/2 cup of sugar mixed with cinnamon and ginger. I placed 12 on a cookie sheet sprayed with cookie spray, and pressed the cookie dough balls down evenly until they were about 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches in diameter. I sprinkled just a little more of the sugar mixture over the top of each smooshed cookie and baked for 11 minutes. I made sure not to allow the edges to become golden brown; I wanted enjoyable cookies, not sugary crackers.
The cookies came out perfect. Sweet without being too sweet, flavorful, crunchy on the outside and just soft enough in the center. And they’re perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, like an American biscotti or biscuit without the over abundance of crumbs. Excellent for pretending it’s fall or winter when global warming is totally against you.
SOPA & PIPA Withdrawn! Congress Caves to US!
Both the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Lamar Smith, and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid withdrew their votes in support of the Stop Online Privacy Act and the Protect IP Act Friday morning.
This postponement (yes, it’s just postponed) is a major win for those of us who enjoy the animosity of the internet without seriously abusing it. Wednesday did seem to make a difference.
The delay in PIPA and Sopa came mere hours after the home of Megaupload.com’s CEO, Kim Dotcom, was raided in New Zealand due to illegal content on servers in Virginia, owned and opporated by Dotcom. The man had more money than the Pope and, in an effort to prove that, even had a black Rolls Royce with the vanity plate “GOD” on it, which was seized in the raid. Not very humble and this raid was certainly not good for those opposed to PIPA and SOPA, as it is millions of illegal downloads like that which occurred on Megaupload that caused the government to write this bill.
In regards to the SOPA/PIPA delay Lamar Smith’s statement was:
“It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was disappointed in the postponement stating:
“The day will come when the Senators who forced this move will look back and realize they made a knee-jerk reaction to a monumental problem…Somewhere in China today, in Russia today, and in many other countries that do not respect American intellectual property, criminals who do nothing but peddle in counterfeit products and stolen American content are smugly watching how the United States Senate decided it was not even worth debating how to stop the overseas criminals from draining our economy.”
While that is a very valiant statement, it does not take into account the astronomical cost that would go into policing websites, a financial burden that many smaller internet sites could simply not afford. Not to mention that with this passing, even more restrictions would most certainly be down the pipeline. The internet is a place for all of us, not just big business. The internet is not a government policed corporation and I certainly don’t want it to become one.
This isn’t over yet. But it’s important to note that the black out on Wednesday did, in fact, have an impact. It’s important people contact their congress people from time to time to remind them that we elect them, and that they serve our voice.
[CBSNews]
Eenie, Meanie, Miney, Pop: Jack the Ripper, Doctor Who, Archer + More
* I just about hate myself for being so interested in this, but it’s true: I am morbidly attracted to what is claimed to be Jack the Ripper’s autobiography. Do I think it’s the real thing? No, but that’s just as much out of safety as out of common sense. If it is real that would be horrifying on top of being highly unlikely. This first-person account of Ripper’s exploits was rediscovered in 2008 and was apparently written in 1920. Children’s author Sydney George Hulme Beaman is said to have been left the autobiography by an acquaintance named James Carnac, and Beaman claims to have omitted the most disturbing portions prior to submitting it for publishing. No, honestly, I don’t think any of writings will have come from Jack himself. Sereal killers are generally proud of their work, but this strikes me as too similar to those who claimed to be Billy the Kid after his death. All public knowledge, attention whoring, and no direct blood lines. I do, however, believe “The Autobiography of James Carnac” is going to be a very interesting and dark read. [History.com]
Original handmade manuscript of supposed Jack the Ripper autobiography, made to look like bloodied cobblestones.
Photo credit History.com via Montacute Museum
*Apparently even Doctor Who can have heart attacks. I just didn’t know his current incarnation was Italian. A man in Verona, Italy suffered a heart attack recently. Having recently been the receiver of a heterotopic transplant, the 71-year-old Italian suffering from low blood pressure and shortness of breath had two hearts. Medical Science is both amazing and horrifying. [MSNBC]
*Speaking of Doctor Who, Steven Moffat is out fueling the rumor mills yet again! It’s no secret that Steven Moffat is one of my favorite story writers every, especially in the realm of television. In a recent interview with the Radio Times, Moffat casually mentioned that season 7 would feature “…at least” 14 episodes! Be still my beating heart! [Radio Times]
*UGO.com has compiled a list of the best Archer jokes. To me, this is simply an impossibility. Archer is so sick, so wonderful, so perfectly my kind of humor, that a list of the best jokes comes off as trivial and pointless. Be that as it may, a new season of Archer is thankfully here, debuting last night at 10pm on FX. The first three episodes of the season teased fans way back in September as a three parter titled The Arch of Darkness. This series is planned to be the longest yet, at a total of 16 episodes. As I don’t have cable, ’cause I’m no bitch to Time Warner, I merely purchase the shows the day after they air for $2 on iTunes. If you haven’t tuned in to Archer, one of the two fantastic animated shows H. Jon Benjamin currently stars in, you can catch the first two seasons on Netflix Streaming. Get on that.[UGO]
* When I was a mere 16 years old, I worked for Priceline Corporate. It was ridiculous. And awesome. And when there were company parties held in rented out airplane hangars, William Shatner would be there surrounded by a billion bodyguards. But, alas, his time with Priceline is no more. But rather than merely ending his contract, Priceline plans on killing off his character. Smooth. [AdRants]
* It’s that time of year again. You know, when you’re just trying to get your body back into shape after the holidays and all of a sudden – BAM! The Girl Scouts of America come along with their awesome cookies and screw everything up. And because we live in the land of Insto-Gratifiction there is now an app for that. What I’m saying is iPhone owners (that’s like, I dunno, roughly 6 billion of us, right?) can download a free GS Cookie locator app. It’s just too bad you can’t order cookies from your phone. But then, it’d probably be fastest if I could just download all those calories straight to my ass. Because that’s exactly where they’re going to go. [GeekSugar]
* DC Comics has revealed a new logo. Personally, I’m not sure if it was a necessary change, but I might just be a cermudgeon. And I get what they’re doing with the new logo. It’s simple and obvious, and, really, not that bad. Or that different. So kudos to them. The “explanation”, however, of such an obvious meaning seems a bit unnecessary. [MTVGeek]
* Jeff Goldblum’s appearance on Glee might be the only reason I have to watch it. Seriously, I’ve tried. I’m just not into it. I am, however, totally in love with Goldblum and him playing a gay dad? My God, it’s like the role he was born to play. Seriously. [TVGuide.com]
* I could see Judy Garland in Inception. She could put all those strung out high disillusions to good use. Too soon? Nah. Peter Stults, an artist inspired by John Hartter, reimagined recent movies to feature classic stars, putting a very vintage spin on their promo posters. [BuzzFeed]
Photo credit BuzzFeed via Behance.net
The Nerdy Foodie 