Pan Pizza

Yum....

Sunday night is Roast Beef night

My beautiful wife requested I make some type of roast beef for dinner tonight and being the local supermarket was featuring 1/2 price cuts, I elected to prepare a Rump Roast. Nothing too elaborate-simply used some spices as a dry rub and found a recipe online that I gave a whirl. I went off the board though and when finished removed the roast and used the drippings to prepare a pseudo Au Jus with the drippings, Merlot, and some other odds and ends(lime juice, soy sauce, worcestershire.)

OC Japan Fest 2010

Had a chance to spend some time in Irvine on Saturday for the annual OC Japan Fest. It was pretty much all things japanese with food, art, music, anime, and dance. If not for the fact that it was 100 degrees it was a pretty nice way to spend the afternoon. As evidenced by the pics-this wasnt your mothers church festival by a long shot.

These two were very happy to pose for us. Funny thing was I am sure each of these ladies were at least 50 years old. Not sure what genre of anime they were aiming for but I can tell you this-first thing I do when I turn 50 is go out and start dressing like my favorite character from Sailor Moon. Then again maybe I'll go with a Simpsons motif and start emulating Groundskeeper Willie.

More fun with Kimonos. Not only were these two nice enough to pose but gave me a complimentary container of Tofu. Not that the Japanese style hospitality I have come to know and love is a bad thing but instead of Tofu couldn't have it been Sapporo and Kobe Beef?

Bumped into another fellow LA Kings fan....had to take a pic. Stay with me though it gets better-I promise.

The festival had a lot of people dressed in their favorite anime garb and most were more the happy to pose for pictures. I'm thinking of incorporating the white parasol into my daily wardrobe. I told these folk that if they wanted me to send them this pic to their email I would so they could tell there friends "You wont believe what this guy was wearing in public."

Nothing like taking some pics with 2 smoking hot models, my youngest son, and a harley. For the record this is the part of this blog entry where it officially has gotten better.

One of the previously mentioned works of art by Kurosawa. I knew his movies are legendary but didn't know the old man can draw. He is pretty good but clearly has a bow and arrow fetish. Hes not as good as my father in law when it comes to drawing but then again my father in law prefers landscapes and portraits of my kids.

A festival just wouldn't be a festival without a performance by the Japanese Maids dance troupe. My sister in law asked if my wife would dress like this for me...I told her Id be lucky just to get her to wear the stockings. Come to think of it...Id be lucky to see her hold a pair of the stockings.

All in all a fun way to spend a bit of time and probably would have spent much more time there if not for the 100 degree weather. Trust me-it was hot and the fact it was held on a parking lot instead of a nice grassy meadow for instance meant the asphalt was at least 110 degrees. On that same note-Im already making plans for next years event thinking I will dress like Spock just the heck of it.

Ribbun'

What else can labor day mean but some type of ribs at the Hipcheck Home.....Enjoy the pics!

Back to Basics-Late August Wine Night

It has been a while since I did a wine/food posting so here goes.

We had 2 wines 1 red and 1 white in the 337 Cabernet from Bevmo as well as the Overland Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joes. We also whipped up a bevy of snacks and nice meat and cheese assortment from my favorite italian marker Claro's in Tustin. Seriously if you consider yourself even 1/8th part foodie and are in OC; Claro's is a must visit.


Here is the entire spread. Wine, dips, spreads, meats, cheeses, fruits and breads. There were grapes and figs, an assortment of Italian meats, some homemade guacamole I whipped up and some other assorted treats.

Our two wines for the evening. The 337 Cab was a fantastic value at about $10 for the bottle. It was a dryer type cab with a heady oaky flavor and semi chocolate cherry type overtones. The Overland Sauvignon got better as it opened and had grapefruit/wet straw essences. It paired amazingly well with the fresh fig. For $5 bucks a bottle it was a bargain for sure. I prefer reds to whites but it was a winner and very refreshing and perfect fit for a warm summer night with family.

This was a dip I made for the evening simply using some on hand ingredients. I took some kalamata olives and feta cheese I has purchased at the Mediterranean market and simply put them in the food processor with sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil to get the desired consistency. Next time Ill probably and add some garbanzos to make it more of a hummus style then the relish style it ended up as. Once again though it was perfect for the night and the herb tartness of the sun-dried tomatoes went well the salty brine of the olives and the richness and depth brought forth through the feta. It went nicely with both wines and will probably become a staple for future festivities due to it being inexpensive and easy to prepare.

This was some ricotta spinach focaccia bread incorrectly labeled as Calzone. It might have been the other items fit so well and were such a hit that this ended up looking as an also ran. It really looked much better then it tasted which is probably why I included it here.

And finally this little guy who I found on the screen door earlier in the day. He spent the afternoon watching me and the family before I finally decided to take him from the screen, soak him in a buttermilk garlic brine, and roll him in some Chef Paul Reptile Magic seasoning before sauteeing in truffle oil with some wild mixed mushrooms and served on top of fresh basil. By this time I was on my 3rd or 4th glass of wine so forgot to take a picture. My Bad!

As always feel free to comment and appreciate your thoughts. Special thanks to Zhang Chang Liu for his comments.

The beauty of the internet

Stumbled across this over at LGK....You really have to admire the speed and talent of some of the people out there....

Start with this...This alone is priceless when the brother is interviewed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua-OqYZC1DA&feature=player_embedded#!

But the whole incident got turned into this, which is probably the most brilliant thing ever since the guy who did the Shining as Family Movie trailer which I also posted below. Enjoy!

The Jake Benson Remix...homeboy!

Shining-Feel Good Family Movie

Astral Projection at the Community Pool

A short story, for no particular reason.

It had been a long day. I had made at least 80 calls to clients and probably sent out twice as many letters and brochures to others. It had been a good day though. I had finished amongst the top 5 in sales for the day which was pretty good considering I was one of the new guys.

I picked up some take out mexican food and made it home to find an empty house devoid of wife and kids. I watched some tv show regarding alien abductions and mysterious metallic implants found in some of the self proclaimed abductees and tried to get in a quick cat nap. I am not very good at napping though and while the brief rest was marginally comforting it did little to recharge my batteries.

As I laid down in a half awake half relaxed glaze I heard the rumble of the garage door opener and knew the family was home. The wife came upstairs and kissed me on the forehead and asked me to come downstairs as she and the kids were hungry.

We cracked a 24 ounce Pabst I had in the fridge and poured its contents into 2 small 6 oz glasses as is japanese dinner custom and opened our carnitas plate.

We finished up the meal and I sat in a semi food coma and thought on a night like this a soaking in a hot jacuzzi tub would seem pleasant enough. I slipped one more beer into a dark red coozie which had proudly displayed the white silhouette of a wave on it and a plastic water bottle for good measure into my backpack and set off for the 5 minute walk to the community jacuzzi.

I opened the black metal wrought iron gate, its rough, chipped, acrylic paint serving as a rough juxtaposition against the cold metal and stepped foot into the cool crisp of darkness and longed for the hot steam.

Laying my back pack on the lounge chair, slipping off my shoes, and taking out my beer and ipod I longed for the steam and serenity the jacuzzi offered. Cracking the beer and slipping into the tub I put on some soft music on the mp3 player, closed my eyes and savored it all, taking it all in for scenes like this had been few and far between as of late.

I settled in and let my mind wander where ever it wanted to go. Thinking of everything and nothing all at the same time images and thoughts crossed my mind at lightning speed with visions of disneyland, old jobs, previous employers, dentists of years passed and other random items. I thought about a former co-worker who was continually inventing and reinventing and trying to find the ever elusive pot of gold and his words he spoke to me one time when he mentioned “Scott when I make it one day I am going to take my family and your family to japan. I will pay for it all for both families and simply use your wifes advice as interpreter and tour guide.”

I thought what it would be like with his family and my family spending the day in Hayama Japan at Tomokos parents house and walking with our sons to the convenience market for snacks and drinks just as I did everyday with my son every day when I was in Japan.

Then settling in an inch or two deeper into the hot water and breathing the chlorinated steam remembered the trip we made high into the elevated cliffs of coastal japan to one of the countries many hot springs. It was a picturesque view with the rocky slopes and slapping of the waves hundreds of yards below and the sea breeze proving exhilarating as I stood stark naked on the ledge of the spring in awe of the view and noting this was probably one of the only times a strong sea breeze touched my entire body as there aren't too many opportunities for the view, breeze, naturalist trifecta.

I remembered how one of the pools was very cool spring water, one was very hot, some were indoor with glass partitions separating the elements and even had thoughts about the small wooden stools you sat on while scrubbing yourself clean in the communal showes before entering the spring.

I remembered how not quite knowing if there was a ceremonial or traditional order to use the springs and each individual pool and seeing a redwood sauna as well gave me one more variable to ponder and consider. I remembered
sitting in the sauna and finding it hard to breathe in the hot wooden box and how every breath tasted of wood. I remembered sitting in the box sweating perfusely thinking “just one more minute” and how I sat on the white towel provided by the staff. I remembered the time I was in the changing room getting my clothes back on when an older japanese woman came in to collect used towels and top of the toiletries that were provided at the communal sinks and how this was an element that most americans would never experience.

I remembered the clarity of thought I had as I sat in the hot spring water and the wet white towel covering my forehead and eyes and how the sound of the pacific along the japanese coast had a different sound then that of the west coast US. While the crash of the US waves on rocks in Southern California had a violent, thunder, aggressive smash to it the sound of the waved in Japan had an etheral spiritual hollowishness that said nothing and everything at the same time. Like god himself was speaking to you through the sound of the waves and the quality of the spring water was sucking out every chemical impurity that I had imbibed in the last year pore by pore by pore. I remembered seeing the japanese guy about my age sitting in another tub and wondered what his life was like. Was he a succesful businessman relaxing before a big weekend of socializing or was he enjoying a final moment of bliss before finding a secluded area amungst the rocks before throwing himself over the side and plunging to his death.

But most of all I remembered the distinct sound of the waves.....the sound of the black iron gate slamming shut and voices behind brought me back to where I sat and I realized that for just that split moment in time that I was there basking in the peace and tranquility offered on the japanese coast- but for now I was back in Orange County California....with the smell of chlorine, the sound of automatic sprinklers, and thoughts of utility bills and that of an unknown,uncertain future.