Fun with Pumpkin Carving

Some quick pictures of my pumpkin carving I did this weekend...its amazing the fun you can have with a $6 pumpkin carving set. I have yet to graduate to the point where I can come up with my own designs so I'm still using the ones that came with the set. On that same note-whats the best way to take night pics of glowing pumpkins?

Off topic DVD Review; Lennon Legend

No secret in some of the forums I hang at that I'm a huge Beatle Geek.

Watched the John Lennon Legend DVD last night after adding it to my NetFlix queue and thought Id share some thoughts.

The Videos-Some are good some are so-so. There are some that IMO pay too much attention to Lennon's Murder and not enough about his life but thats just my opinion. There are a lot of rare pretty good quality clips though that give a glimpse of Lennon I'm sure some here have never seen. Call the videos a bonus as the real benefit of the DVD lies in sound quality.

It's also no secret I enjoy 5.1 surround sound so I ran this DVD through the tests. The DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 quite frankly were unimpressive. There was little use of rear channels and at first I was a bit disappointed. But when I switched to direct MultiChannel it was a whole new ballgame. Each distinct part of songs were clear and concise. Whatever Gets You Through the Night was never actually a favorite Lennon song of mine but with the multichannel the piano lines very much stood out as did the acoustic guitar. Generally I'm used to these sounds meld together and you cant really hear the distinct parts but with multichannel 5.1 it sounded very very good. Other things that stood out were Beautiful Boy. There are some background vocals that have some type of flange effect that sounded like it panned from the Rear Speakers to the Front Speakers. Once again something you would never notice with a regular CD. I'm not sure maybe if those weren't added specifically for the DVD or if they were there the whole time but it was very cool. Also the steel drum or timpani instruments really stood out as well. The other cool thing about the songs were they used studio master tapes for the DVD and they let them run a bit longer including some studio chatter as the song ended. In other words when your used to hearing a normal song end there was another 15 to 20 seconds of music.

All in all strictly based on sound quality in multichannel format the DVD would be well worth the purchase. Much like the Beatles Anthology DVDs are currently the best sounding cuts of Strawberry Fields, I'm the Walrus, and Day in the Life this is without question the best sounding source of the Lennon songs.

For the Videos I give a C+, for the 5.1 I give an A. Very surprised to hear just how good of job they did with this DVD. For those only with DTS or Dolby systems maybe worth the rent but for those with multichannel its a must buy.

Catching up....

Some quick pics to get a bit caught up...sorry I am late in doing this-I know you have missed me.






























A Quick wine review-Wildwood Syrah. After drinking this wine I now understand what they mean when a wine is described as "complex." A whole lot of stuff going on with this wine. Not that it wasnt good it was...just a bit busier then what I am used to. More to come....

BBQ'ed French Onion Soup

Blotto from the LGK board posted this recipe that I found intriguing. Have yet to try it but once again it looks delicious and is very simple to prepare.

- One medium to large, heavy and firm yellow onion per person. Heavy because the more water content the better. And I was told that the sweeter varieties came out too sweet... but it's up to you. The yellow was GREAT.
- One Bouillon cube. Or a half cube maybe for a smaller onion-or if you don't want it too salty.
- A pat of butter, or drizzle of olive oil.
- Aluminum foil.
- A little grated cheese. I used cave-aged gruyere (naturally!) but the French one called Comte. Niiiiice and creamy and super stringy.

Peel the onion and open an X-shaped slit from the top. Stuff the bouillon cube and butter inside the slit, and wrap tightly with double layer aluminum foil because if it leaks you are SCREWED my friend. If using olive oil just drizzle some in the opening. And VERY IMPORTANT: it needs to roast standing up; and you'll want to check it later by opening the top so wrap accordingly.

Roast either on the grill (indirect heat if you can) for 45 mins to an hour or more depending on temperature (or you could tightly cover in ramekins for the oven or toaster-oven at 300-350). No need to open it right away to check. Takes time so just leave it be. It'll become extremely tender and translucent and sort of "collapse" when ready. Open them carefully and transfer to bowls--because what you'll have is a cup or more of broth from the oinion's juices and bouillon. It'll be one seriously hot and steamy mutha, so grate cheese over the top (it'll get stringy right away) and tuck in. No crouton, so call it "low carb" I guess. You won't miss it.

You could add anything you want and tweak this, but we didn't even crack pepper. DAMN it was good. I'll probably pre-heat a little early and do this every grill-night--regardless of what's on as dinner.

Maui/Honolulu in Review

First day back to work from my Maui/Honolulu vacation...thought Id share some thoughts and pics.

Kahana Sunset Maui-great place to stay. Private beach w/great snorkeling. Condo had 2 balconies and you could hear the surf at night. Very nice place.

The Gazebo-it was too crowded for me to eat there but I recommended it to my cousin who said it was great.

Maui Coffee Company-Great breakfast pastries. I had a Quiche and a Sticky Pecan Bun and both were awesome. I wish I had a local place with breakfast snacks this good.

Hula Grille-Food wasnt too bad but the drinks were horrible. Worst MaiTai I ever had served by a lethargic disinterested waitress.

Lahaina-Cool city with some great ice cream. Forget the name of the place but it was across from Bubba Gumps.

Eiw Valley-Not a whole lot to see on the whole but very cool and scenic. Tons of greenery with a nice big stream flowing through it.

The Crater- Very cool in the sense that the area looks much more like Big Bear then Hawaii. At 10,000 feet elevation had a very nice view as well once the clouds cleared.

Honolulu-everyone has been here before so I share 2 cool things.

Eggs n Things-Was my second time eating there and it was as good as I remembered. Arguably the best breakfast Ive ever had(I said the same thing when I ate there the first time.)

Awa-This is a root herb they make a drink out of. Its a natural muscle relaxer and mild hallucinigen. It was served at a little health club/store near diamond head. It made my tongue numb and after drinking the smoothie the awa was in decided to walk the 30-40 minutes back to the hotel. Very interesting walk to say the least. If you are in Honolulu this is a must try. I only hope I can find a place in Maui that serves this and we decided next time we go to Hawaii we will spend the whole week in Maui.

Things we didnt do that I regret-the Road to Hana/Snorkeling with Dolphins. These are most do things on my next visit as well as the Winery.

Homers Dorado-Northwoods Style

Homer from the LGK board got back from a couple of days fishing in mexico and was nice enough to throw a couple of filets of dorado my way. I broke out the Penzeys spices and immediately went to work. Pictured below is Grilled Norhtwest Style Dorado with Cappelini Pesto Pasta and Fire Roasted Peppers. Sorry to say no wine was featured as I was finishing my last couple of glasses of Black Box Cab.

More to come.........

o-

I rove my baby back libs....

The Local Supermarket had baby back ribs on special so I whipped out the old top secret recipe and cooked up 5 slabs for me and my brothers families.

Here is the platter of Slabs cut in to 1/3rds along with a couple of brats I cooked just in case the kids thought the ribs too spicy. And considering the dry rub had habanero chile powder and the glaze used Tabasco Red Pepper Jelly was probably a good choice. I tell you though there is nothing cuter then the look on your toddlers face once those heat units kick in-whats even cuter is watching them drink pouch after pouch of Capri Sun Fruit Drinks in a vain attempt to put that fire out.

















Here is the Full Spread....the already mentioned meat platter along with some yellow corn, baked beans, just to the side the cool salad with korean style dressing and sesame seeds, some typical baked beans, and some chips with tomatillo salsa. I had some wine as well....a bottle of Cameron Hughes Lot 34 and some Zinfandel I picked up from Trader Joes. I was already on the 3rd or 4th glass which explains why I forgot to include it in the picture. Probably a moot point as there are only a handful of people reading this anyhow-Thanks for all your support Mike, Greg, Sandra, Wallace, and Bryan A.
















Here is a picture of my brother looking in pure admiration.





I have to tell you though....the spice and salt factor in dry rub along with the endless wine I drank that night in combination with the balmy evening temperatures certainly left me a bit dehydrated. Anyone have a tip for this? I probably drank a 1/2 gallon of water before bed and it didn't even put a dent in the thirst/dehydration factor. Maybe a new mixed drink spritzer using 1/2 wine and 1/2 Gatorade?

Any help and all comments certainly welcomed!