Hitting the Bottle

As I write this,…the GF & some of the soristi-neighbors are playing a rousing game of drunken DDR.  While normally amusing, hilarious in a DC blizzard…pictures forthcoming.

In reality a small project was finished today.  The WineLight…ingredients:

-1 wine bottle

-1 drill with glass  drill bit (1/4″ min)

-1 string of 25 LED Christmas light

So long story and several steps short; while holding the bottle in your sink & running a small stream of water your place the drill bit against the side of the bottle.  Start to run the drill slowly so that you create a small indentation in the glass.  Continue to drill as you create a deeper indentation….keep running until you are through the glass.  It should look something like this:

From there, let you bottle dry and get to stuffing in your LEDs.  This is honestly the easiest part in this rather simple process.

At this point, one you have you lights evenly distributed you are ready to roll and now have a fully functional piece of lighting decor…the Wine Light

Try setting up a few of these puppies in your windows next holidays…yeah…you’re now officially awesome.

Homeless at less than half the price!

So I was checking out this deal/discount website I was invited into called Gilt Man…and I stumbled upon this treasure:

now…don’t get me wrong, I’m all for men’s fashion…but…this…is…awful.  This poor sap looks like he’s either homeless or was playing dress up in Daddy’s clothes.  Either way, this thing is a travesty.  But hell, at only $328 at least you don’t have to pay retail ($950) for it!

Other than the fashion disaster listed above, they do have some rather interesting stuff that if you’re a fashion forward chap, or chap-ette, you may enjoy.  Feel free to take a browse on me @ Guilt Man

Read & Be Inspired

If you’re a reader of this blog, but somehow haven’t found your way over to KarenMakesSense, now is the time.  No only was this little lady one of the top inspirations for me to actually start this thing, but she also has embraced the power of the ‘tubes to bring us tasty treats, now with a heaping handful of Human Compassion.  For every comment that is made to this particular post she will be donating $1 to the relief effort in Haiti….she’s not rolling in dough, just rolling it.  Do your part….and kick in a little extra if you can.

Tough as nails….with a hint of umami

There is nothing more cliche than saying that men love meat…red meat….cooked over an open flame.  Consider me a cliche.

This time however, we chose to go a different route than the open flame…slow & low.  Before you get excited, I’m not talking BBQ.  Now, get really excited because I’m talking Jerky.  Home made, hand-cut, deliciously spiced beef jerky. Granted, since the invention of refrigeration the need for dehydration and long term storage options are no longer a key to survival…but, this stuff is really easy to make, tastes real good, and gives you that nice convenient protein boost.

If you have a food dehydrator like me (courtesy of a joke between me and my grandmother about 15yrs ago), this is real easy.  If not, use an oven set to 200 degrees.  Just whip up the following recipe…let marinade at least 2 hours, preferably overnight….and pop it in your dehydration box of choice.  You’re just a dozen hours from glory.

2lbs Top Round (London Broil) Beef

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 Cup Honey

1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tbsp Black Pepper

1 tbsp Penzey’s Chicago Seasoning

a few shakes liquid smoke

Slice your beef against the grain in 1/4 inch slices. Dump in all ingredients into a zip top bag. Shake bag around a little and put in fridge for 2-12hrs.  Remove from chill-chest, drain, and add to dehydrator of choice for 12-16hrs.  Rotate beef every 4-6hrs.

1. Marinade 2. Drain 3. Dehydrate 4. Enjoy

To Bacon

I almost titled this post…”too much pork makes me fart”.  To those of you that get this, it’s hilarious..to those who don’t, it’s rather gross. But never-mind what I chose not to call this, lets talk bacon.  Bacon, the king of meats.  Some may say Filet Mignon, NY Strip, maybe even Veal…..no, they’re wrong.  Bacon.  I will not hear your arguments, thus I will say it again. Bacon.

Since sharing quarters with the GF, I’ve not been able to cook bacon nearly as much as I would like.  In addition to being a flat-tooth, some roommates in college ruined bacon for her.  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner….while it sounds awesome, apparently with the smell of someone always cooking bacon in the house was just too much for her.   Now my bacon frying is relegated to when she is out of town.

Tonight is one of those nights, so I chose to fry up some bacon for a simple bacon sandwich for dinner.  A simple bacon sandwich was what I went into the process thinking, what I got was so much more.  I didn’t take a picture, so you’ll have to use your imagination on this one.

Bangin’ Bacon Sandwich

Bacon (fried until crisp)

Mixed Salad Greens (undressed)

Goat Cheese (soft)

French Baguette (fresh)

Fry bacon, let drain on paper towel. Slice baguette and place soft-side down in the bacon drippings, let fry.  Pull the bread off the pan, place goat cheese liberally on the bread.  Add bacon and salad greens.

Enjoy a delicious, delicious sandwich….Crisp, Salty, Rich, Creamy, Fresh & Amazing.  I know bacon makes everything better, but this was one of the most surprising dishes I’ve prepared in quite awhile.  I didn’t go into this expecting anything more than to satisfy a bacon craving, but I got a slice a heaven….just as bacon should be.

Cook Like A Man (who needs to make sure his lovely lady doesn’t kill him after a bad day at work)

Making Dinner; this is a hefty task for any man. Remove meat, open flame, and batter….the holy trinity of dude cooking.  Suddenly planning a meal goes from a challenge to mind wracking.

After five years of dating an out & out vegetarian I’ve picked up a new approach to composing a plate.  Don’t get me wrong, when planning a meal my mind still goes first to the central protein.  That being said, I now figure out how I can take that portion and move it from either a side dish or replace it with something without a face or a mother.

Tonight, after getting home prior to the Happy Houring significant other I decided that I would take it upon myself to make some eats that would please both me and the veg-head.   There are some produce items that needed to either be prepared or risk not making it through the week…an acorn squash & some shiitake shrooms specifically.

To the Inter-Tubes!

That brought me to foodfit.com, a site that I have never visited, but gave me a recipe entitled Acorn Squash and Shiitake Mushroom Risotto on my first Google search….thank you foodfit.com, I think I will.  Having never made a risotto previously, I chose to follow the directions…with two changes.   I swapped the chicken stock with veggie stock and added a sliced portabella since I didn’t think I would have enough Shiitakes.  Everything went to plan…short of stirring for way more than 20 minutes (probably closer to 30/35).  This was a true test in patience, but the results were colorful, tasty, and pleasing to my little flat-tooth.

If you’re looking for something to fill you up with starchy goodness this Autumn, a good risotto is the way to go & this was a good risotto.

The Final Results

Short Swords Be Damned!

just a quick one here, but if you had the chance to catch Rhianna’s preformance on SNL this weekend, you would have seen that wearing bullet-proof vests while on stage is so 2003. Singing, dancing (ok, more swaying), and wearing a red chainmail coif…Rhianna brought it back a few centuries with that one. Forget bullets, Blades have nothing on this years fashion plates.

Staying Sharp

Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet and Watch…The Man’s Blessing, never leave the house without ’em.  There is only one thing its missing; a pocketknife.  If there is one item that still belongs at the side of every man (or woman) is a trusty blade for day to day tasks.

Growing up I remember working with my father and when the need called, out came the ol’ Victorinox Alox.  It was a great knife, light, sturdy, and simple….just what a good pocketknife should be.  Even my mom carried a small swiss classic and my first trip to the knife store (the now shuttered Chesapeake Knife & Tool) brought me my own Swiss Army beauty, a BSA Tinker.

With security being an issue all over these days though, many people have dropped the pocketknife all together.  Not being ale to bring a blade on a plane shouldn’t stop you from having a great tool at your side though.

Why Carry a Pocketknife?  Cut open a box, Open a letter, Slice an apple, Preform emergency surgery…the possibilities are endless! So are your choices:

Slipjoint– This type of knife has a spring that keeps the blade open and will only close with a certain amount of pressure.  A Swiss Army knife is a good example of this type of knife.  The blades are generally for lighter duty.

Lockback– This is a classic style like a Buck knife or the Gerber that I carry.  When the blade is opened a tension arm slides in under the base of the blade and locks it in place.  Pushing the arm out of the way allows the blade to drop back into place in the closed position.

Small, Light, & with a nice sturdy pocket clip makes my Gerber Mini Paraframe the right knife for my day to day carry needs

Pen knives, single blades, multi-tools, whatever your choice having a dependable blade with you will make life easier…and I think a little more fun

From Dude to Gentleman: The Art of Being a Man – Part 1

Shine On!

So you got that new job, revamped the wardrobe and just dropped some serious cash doing it.  Along with the new suit, shirts, and other manly accessories you should now be in possession of a pair of fine leather shoes.  Now you’re not just looking the part, but are truly “well-heeled”.

First things first, you’ll drop those new clogs on some shoe trees then clean and condition those puppies.

What’s that? Clean & condition? But they’re brand friggin’ new!

Exactly! You just spent some serious money on that fancy new footwear, when they’re new is exactly the time to take some preventative measure.  Think of it as insurance on your slick calf-skin investment.  To do this, just follow the steps below and your leather will thank you with years of looking like Don Draper (from toe to ankle anyway).

Clean

1. Clean off the dust & grime with a soft brush 2. Foam up some saddle soap on a clean damp rag and rub into your shoes; rinse with another clean damp rag

Condition

1. Rub in a light layer of conditioner (or mink oil) into your leather with a clean shoe brush. Use small circular strokes

Store

1. Drop your shoes on shoe trees if you have them.  They will help maintain your shoes shape

Ok, so you’ve take all precautions, but now after a few wears out in the big city things are starting to look a little tired and you’ve got a scuff or two showing; what now?  Well, you have most of the tools already at your disposal from the start of this little adventure.  Just follow steps 1 & 2 and you only have to add a third.

Clean

Condition

Polish

1. Get a firm grip on your shoes 2. With a matching shoe polish, rub into shoes in small circular motions; use either a clean rag or shoe brush 3. Buff polish into leather with a buffing brush until the polish reaches a high sheen

Store

Your shoes should now be looking good as new!

With proper care, not only will you be looking good, but your shoes will last longer and start to develop a nice patina that only makes them look better. Keep in mind, you should keep things clean & conditioned about once a month if you’re wearing them on the regular. Keep things cleaned and polished as often as needed.

(All the shoe care items mentioned can be picked up at the local pharmacy or shoe store and should run you about $25-$30…I’ve picked up most stuff at CVS over the years)

All Aboard!

After a 12 hour photo shoot at work, I made my way home to the promise of a little home brew (sort-of) and some quality Thai.   About a beer and a half & a half portion of Phad Thai later I got a text from L² to meet up at The Passenger, a new joint over at 1021 7^th St, NW.

A very short walk later I was sitting in a small booth in a room that was both cozy & barren.  Keeping it simple the proprietors are going for a “neo-speakeasy” feel. The menu reflects the feel with a short list of craft drafts (including one of my favorites, Lagunitas Pils @ a mere $5), wines by the glass, “Our Kitchen is a Sandwich Press” food options including Cured Olives, a Kimchi Hotdog & Beef Jerky from locals, Red Apron Butchery.  They are also supposed to be opening Columbia Room in the same location.  Think of it as an 18 seat version of José Andres’ Mini Bar, but for cocktails.

I didn’t get to spend much time exploring on my first trip, but it will certainly not be my last.  The Passenger, smacks of quality neighborhood haunt.