Experiments in the revival of dead organisms

Get Into This

Check out the youtube link for a fullscreen view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0YUtetA6fo&feature=player_embedded

Gourmet Sunday

Thrown together somewhat last minute, but still very delicious. A heads up: Don't go to Metro for your groceries on a Sunday because the shelves are always empty and the line ups are always long.

Hosts: Spark and Rob.
Guests: Joelle and Tami.
Starter: Joelle made some delicious Thai Cold Rolls.
Soup: Another fine Coconut soup from the Soup King.
Main: Vegetable stir fry with Peanut Satay sauce.
Drink: I had water. Tami had Cranberry Juice. Joelle and Spark had a bottle of some kind of wine.
Music: Give 'em Enough Rope, The Clash.

Gourmet Sundays

Just because I don't blog it doesn't mean Gourmet Sunday doesn't happen. For instance:


Mexico.
Tortilla Soup.
Rice and Beans.
Fajita.


I imported an authentic Japanese sushi chef to help with this one. Thanks Maki.
Udon noodle soup.
Avocado, Sweet Potato, and Cucumber Roll.
Vegetable Tempura.
Inari.


Italy
Bread Soup.
Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragout.

Holy Crap!

Remember when this was a shark blog? Check this out

Gourmet Sunday

Tami and I were eating sushi last night and I told her that I wanted to take another stab at ravioli for Gourmet Sunday. It wasn't much more than thirty seconds later that Ledger called and said he'd be in town to partake in the festivities (regular readers will remember that he was a key ingredient in the success of the last ravioli dinner in August). However, given that I'd already made ravioli once already for Gourmet Sunday (and once for an unofficial Gourmet Friday), I knew I had to include an added bonus.

Hosts: Rob and Spark.
Guests: Joelle, Kathy, Keith, Ledger, and Tami.
Salad: Mixed greens with avocado and a balsamic vinaigrette.
Soup: Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, and Pear.
Main: Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, and Pear Ravioli with a Butter and Sage sauce.
Desert: Apple Crisp.
Wine: Peller Estates 2008 Baco Noir, Finca Flichman 2008 Malbec, and Masi 2006 Campofiorin.
Music: Smiths "the Queen is Dead," and Springsteen "Nebraska."

So, the added bonus was the soup, with complimentary ingredients. And by complementary I mean the exact same. It was delish. But again, I can't stress enough how much time ravioli takes. I wouldn't recommend doing it from scratch. Instead, go buy a sheet of fresh lasagna noodles.

Avoid: Bestbuyglasses.com, UPS, and Quiznos Subs

We'll start with Quiznos:

They make a delicious sub, though they've always been over-priced. I like that they offer guacamole as a dressing, unlike any of the other sub chains. They have a new promotion where you can get large sized subs for $5. Being hungry, and a sucker for a good sandwich, I went in. Apparently you can only get specific subs for $5. Fine. But, the veggie sub isn't one of them. In other words, I can get a LARGE sub with all sorts of meat on it for less than a MEDIUM sub with no meat. WTF! When I inquired, the manager had no explanation for the ridiculous logic. "Okay", I said, "can I get a large meat sub without meat?" He said, yes, but I couldn't have guacamole because it only comes on veggie subs. huh? "I can't swap out a bunch of meat for some guacamole?" Apparently not.

I contacted the head office and spent 25 minutes inputting data onto their automated complaint system and was promised, by a machine, that a person would call me back. Never heard back. In solidarity with vegetarians, logic, and reason, I urge you to take Quiznos Subs off your possible lunch options.

Moving onto bestbuyglasses.com:

I was amazed at the competitive prices listed on their website. I ordered a pair of specs. They were $98 (US), plus $16.95 shipping. Fine. A week later I received one of those "attempt to delivery" notices from UPS stating I owed them $47 for brokerage fees. At no point in the online ordering procedure did it mention anything about additional fees.

When I called Best Buy Glasses they monkey who answered the phone politely stated to me that their website clearly states that residents of Canada may be charged additional duties and/or taxes. When I protested she instructed that if I had clicked on the icon saying FREE DELIVERY IN THE US I would have encountered their Canadian shipping information. Like I said, she was a monkey, and though primates share up to 98% of our genetic material, sometimes they can't comprehend simple concepts like national borders. I inquired why I would ever click on an icon about FREE DELIVERY IN THE US, if I live in Canada. Her response: "Because if I was ordering something online, I would want to know if their were any additional shipping fees." How does one even respond to that?

UPS:

Forty-seven dollars in brokerage fees for an item that costs $100? I asked how they calculate their fees, assuming it was a percentage of the value. Apparently they have a scale where a product between $100 and $200 pays the same brokerage. Again, doesn't make sense because clearly the duty at customs isn't the same for two unequally valued goods. After trying to understand their rationale, I left the conversation even more confused.

The next day they messed up the delivery and I had to call them again, and, of course, I got back into the brokerage fees issue. I guess, I won this particular customer service rep over because he called me 20 minutes later saying he's going to cut the brokerage fees to $20.

As happy as I am about that, it just proves the point that UPSs brokerage fees are unfair and arbitrary. There is no way they're eating a dime, even after reducing the fees by $27.

In conclusion F UPS. F Best Buy Glasses. And F Quiznos.

Gourmet Sunday

Gourmet Sunday finally returned to Joelle's. If you recall an earlier old post you'll remember that what an amazing meal she put together in the spring. Being a regular at Gourmet Sunday, it's no surprise she can cook, but each time she's hosted, she's really taken it to the next level. Oh, and hey, you know those people who claim to be vegetarian, but eat fish, like you're supposed to believe fish grown from the ground? I can't stand that. Anyways, I might slowly be becoming one of them, as my fish consumption has advanced from "experimenting" to "not so regular but sometimes."

Host: Joelle.
Guests: Alex, Neil, Rob, and Spark.
Starter: Vegetable Soup and Mixed Greens Salad.
Main: Rice and Salmon.
Desert: Pumpkin Tarts.
Wine: Not sure, but white.

Joelle has an actual dining table to sit at. She's serious about being serious.

Beers of the World

Last night we visited eleven countries and three continents, sampling the finest brews each has to offer. Rating each beer was difficult when considering there were four judges and no real criteria to base such judgment on. It seems as though Rennick was the only one with any sort of rationale, declaring "If I like it, I'll give it a 5." Comparisons are made even more complicated because the more samples you get through, the drunker you become.

After several hours of tasting, discussing, debating, and arguing, we came very near to throwing fists but managed to narrow down a top three:

3) Fischer Blonde - est. 1821, France.

2) Golden Pheasant Lager - Slovakia. Brewed according to an original recipe, using only natural ingredients: clearest water from our own wells, finest hops and malted barley.

1) Affligem Abbey Blonde - est. 1074, Belgium. A smooth-bodied, golden abbey beer with a light, hoppy character and a surprisingly clean finish. Secondary fermentation in the bottle. Contains barley malt.

Gourmet Sunday

While Tami and I were moving boxes up and down stairs, Spark and Joelle got a sack full of peppers for $3 from a farmers market across from the St. Lawrence market. This is what happened:

Hosts: Rob and Spark.
Guests: Amy, Joelle, and Tami.
Soup: Butternut squash and Sweet Potato.
Salad: Garden with some kind of tangy dressing Tami whipped up.
Main: Stuffed Peppers.
Dessert: Apple Pie.
Wine: 2007 Promised Land Shiraz Cabernet.

Music: Sensefield and Smalltown.

We now have a new feature at the house: a bar-height "dining" table. It's too small to dine at, but last night during the prep portion of the evening we sure enjoyed sitting at it, leaning on it, and conversing around it. It was just like being at the pub.

Gourmet Sunday

The Regulators finished another unsuccessful season with no wins. A club record! Despite the disappointment of baseball season, and more importantly summer coming to an end, it does open up for a more consistent Sunday evening program. We decided to mark the first dinner of the season, and what could very well be the one year anniversary of Gourmet Sunday, with one of our finest meals yet.

Hosts: Spark and Rob
Guests: Allie, Joelle, and Tami
Starter: Garlic Bread
Salad: Mixed Greens
Main: Eggplant Rollatini with a ricotta, spinach, and flame roasted red pepper filling, and a side of Breaded Zucchini sticks.
Wine: I don't know because I didn't drink any, but it was a red.
Dessert: Banana Loaf with Chocolate Chips and Almond Chunks.

Music: Falling Forward

Perhaps the most exciting part of last night's meal was not the meal at all, but Joelle's refound love for a 90s hardcore classic, Falling Forward's Hand Me Down. In all seriousness though, there were a handful people who had the opportunity to come last night and didn't. They missed out, big time.

Sorry, I couldn't find any Falling Forward, but this is pretty good, too.

For my balding friends.

Gourmet Friday

A few months ago we made a variety of ravioli from scratch. It took forever to make. I didn't think I would be up for the task again. I reconsidered, however, changed a few things and went ahead with it. Not making three types of ravioli for six people made things a lot easier. Oh, and if somebody tries to tell you a wine bottle works as well as a rolling pin, they're either lying or stupid. Get a rolling pin.

Host: Me
Guests: Amy and Ledger. Tami would have made it, but was interviewing SGs for potential roommates.
Starter: Garlic Bread
Salad: Check. I may have put too much Balsamic in the dressing, however.
Main: Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Ravioli with a butter and Rosemary dressing, with grilled Aspargus on the side.
Wine: 2008 Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc.

Music: Probably Leatherface, I forget.

Gourmet Sunday mainstays weren't in attendance, so I think this is a dish that will be made again. My confidence in fresh pasta-making has been rejuvenated.

New Boat.

It's a few months old, but I've just come across this new Leatherface jam. Stoked for a new album, should it ever see the light of day.



And an old one



One more

Gourmet Wednesday

With baseball being Sunday night, we've found it hard to keep up with Gourmet Sunday. We're still cooking, just not blogging about it as much. We've been talking about a Gourmet Sunday with Chris and Danielle for a while and they took advantage of a cool and rainy summer evening to invite us over for some delicious eats.

Hosts: Chris and Danielle.
Guests: Tami and Rob
Starter: Chris made the best guacamole I've ever tasted.
Main: Fresh Cut Sweet Potato fries; Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with Cream Cheese, Brie, and tomato; Grilled Eggplant; BBQ Tofu.
Desert: Fruit Salad.
Beverage: Chilled Toronto tap water.

Whenever somebody else does Gourmet Sunday (or Wednesday), I think they show us up. Hats off to Chris and Danielle for putting together an awesome mid-week feast. And just so you know, sweet potatoes are still the best food in the world.

Good Jam.

I remember taping this when it aired on tv and watching it religiously for a month. Can anybody explain the X on Jeff Ament's hand?

FBI conversations with Saddam

Between his capture in December 2003 and his eventual execution three years later, Saddam Hussein spent 18 months in US custody. During this time, FBI agents recorded both formal interviews and casual conversations with him. Transcripts of these engagements were recently released. I've, so far, only read the casual conversations and found them quite interesting. check them out here:

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB279/index.htm

Woah.

I'd like to share with you the wet dream I had last night:

the 59 sound - bruce springsteen & gaslight anthem( glasto )
Uploaded by runawaydream. - See the latest featured music videos.

Springsteen joins the Gaslight Anthem on stage at Glastonbury.

Culture Shock.

This pretty much sums up what's wrong with youth culture. Be sure to watch the entire thing as there's some next level shit in the last minute.