Change Jars

A couple of years ago my co-workers decided I needed an Xbox 360 so we could all play games online together.  As I could not justify the expense, and as I could not justify just paying straight out of my pocket for it, my friend Liz repurposed a mug from her office and turned it into my Xbox 360 fund.  The fund grew, I bought the Xbox and funny enough it was my brother and my good friend, and roommate, Ken who ended up using it way more than I did.  Truth be told I do play games on it, but when I'm around it's main purpose is to watch movies on Netflix or DVD's. 

Now that the Xbox hurdle has been met I am on to my next quest.  This one is for another unjustifiable gadget.  This time I want the Dyson Air Multiplier AM03.

Not only do I love the design, but I also love the fact that it's bladeless.  According to Gizmodo, the guts of the fan, located in the base, sucks in air from the bottom and shoots it out of the front rim of the circular "fan" portion.  The resulting airflow draws in wind from the back of the fan to accelerate the generated air speed 18 times, thus rivaling, or perhaps even beating, traditional fans.

What's great about it is that it's supposed to be quieter than most fans and is supposed to be a great air circulator, which in my house is really needed as I do not have many windows on one side of the house.  I'll admit that I love the design as well - modern, sleek, love the blue ring and you can stick your head through it (great for those of you who have kids).

So here it goes.  I am starting my Dyson Air Multiplier AM03 fund.  I'm not sure if anyone at work will contribute like they did with my Xbox fund, but at least I have my next goal. 

Check this out.  If you didn't believe me before here is a YouTube video of a balloon getting sucked into the rings of the fan while it is on.

Bellevue

Last week I had the opportunity to experience John Howie Steak in Belleuve at the Bravern for the first time.  Everything I'd heard up until I walked into the place was excellent, so you had to understand how excited I was to finally have the chance to try the food.  In the end I found that it wasn't as good as everyone had said.

Please don't get me wrong.  Most of the food was excellent.  The deviled eggs with the crumbled bacon were deliciously creamy with the perfect amount of smokey crunch.  The crabcakes were fresh and crispy on the outside.  And the steak.  Oh the steak.  I ordered the 8oz petite fillet.  Ordered it medium rare and I have to tell you that it was perfectly cooked.  Cooked so well that the steak practically melted in my mouth.  So flavorful, so jucy, so tasty.  I have to say that I think this steak rivals my previous opinion of The Met.  In fact I think, if it's even possible, that this steak is better then the one I ate at The Met and that one was fantastic.

The issue here is the Beecher’s Flagship Reserve Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese. 

It was made with elbow pasta, an onion cream sauce and a herbed bread crumb crust.  The top tasted baked, although the inside was still saucy without being soupy.  It tasted as if the cooked noodles were mixed together with the sauce, topped with the breadcrumbs and put under the broiler to finish the dish and bake the top. 

I found that first and foremost the breadcrumbs didn't really do anything for the dish.  They tasted good, but it didn't really add anything or take anything away from the dish.  The sauce was okay, but I didn't really taste any of the onion that was supposedly in the sauce.  Most of the flavor was the Beecher's cheese, but unlike the original Beecher's mac'n'cheese in Pike Place, this mac was not as rich.  The worst part of the dish were the noodles.  Don't get me wrong.  I like my noodles to be a bit al dente.  Unfortunately the noodles in the dish we were served were a little too undercooked.  Sadly I was a very disappointed.

Do I like this restaurant?  Absolutely and I would recommend it highly to anyone who loves steak and is willing to pay the high price.  The only thing I wouldn't recommend is the mac'n'cheese.  It's a great effort, but unfortunately it just doesn't cut the mustard. 

One important thing to note.  If you are interested in trying this restaurant go for lunch or happy hour.  The prices are much more reasonable.

http://www.johnhowiesteak.com/

Love Those Europeans

Thanks to my good friend, and roommate, Ken I have experienced a little slice of heaven.  Thank you to the Frankfurt airport and to Microsoft for hiring a company to send Ken all the way to Milan to set up one Xbox.  I have totally reaped the benefits.

Nutella in a snack pack! 

Hearty Vegetarianism

A couple of years ago my friend Rachel had me over for dinner and made this dish.  Despite the fact that this is made with veggies, it is one of the most hearty meals I've ever eaten.  What I love is the fact that a little goes a long way.  It sticks to your gut and keeps you full just like any hearty meat dish.  You can always eat it with rice but if you substitute quinoa not only will you get all the goodness from the veggies, but you will also get tons of protein as well.

Moroccan Stew

 1/3 c. olive oil
 3 c. coarsely chopped onions
 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
 1 tsp. ground cumin
 1 tsp. turmeric
 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
 1/4-1 tsp. cayenne
 1/2 tsp. paprika
 1 c. sliced carrots
 4 c. cubed sweet potatoes or butternut squash
 3 c. cubed eggplant
 1 green pepper, sliced in strips
 4 c. sliced zucchini or summer squash
 2 lg. tomatoes, chopped
 1 1/2 c. cooked garbanzo beans liquid reserved
 Pinch of saffron
 3/4 c. dried currants or 1/2 c. raisins
 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

In a stew pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions for
2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and spices, stirring
continuously. Add the vegetables in the order given above,
so that the starchier vegetables will cook the longest.
Saute after the addition of each vegetable until it color
deepens. Stir in the garbanzo beans, the saffron, and the
currants or raisins. There should be some liquid at the
bottom of the pot from the cooking vegetables. However, if
the stew is dry, add 1/2 cup of tomato juice, liquid from
the garbanzo beans or water.

Cover the stew and simmer on low heat until all the
vegetables are tender. Add the chopped parsley just before
serving. Serves 4-6.

Muppets

Where can I get some of these???  These are awesome!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/28/muppet-cupcakes-its-about_n_555010.html

Leftovers

Last night I felt compelled to make the dinner I wasn't able to make last Sunday because we ate pasta instead.  These burritos are the easiest thing to make.  They are fresh, healthy and very tasty. 

Ingredients:
flour or wheat tortillas
large can sliced olives
large can diced green chilies
shredded cheddar
1 can pinto beans
bag of coleslaw mix w/out the dressing
red salsa

In a large bowl mix the olives, green chilies and beans together.  Add the cheddar.  This is your binder.  You actually don't need too much, I don't tend to put a large amount in the mix.  Add about 1/4 to 1/2 the bag of coleslaw mix.  Stir everything together finishing with your choice of red salsa - just enough to cover and dress all the other ingredients.  Don't put too much or during the cooking process it will ooze out of the tortilla and make everything wet.

Wrap ingredients in your tortillas.  Line up in a large pyrex baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees until the top is slightly brown and crispy to the touch.

One great thing you can do is add shredded, cooked chicken.  This tastes fantastic in the mix.

Got this receipe from either my mom's Sunset or Better Homes and Gardens magazine many years ago.  Tends to be a huge hit every time I make it.

Sugar

This is what I found on msn.com today:

If you can't already tell, it's an iPhone cake.  Guess I'm not all that surprised, but admittedly impressed by the detail and precision.  Somebody was bound to make one of these eventually.