Goals for the New Year

I usually don't make any goals for the new year, but I did write some down this year. I'll look back at this post in January 2011.

Besides the usual goals like "get out of debt" and "lose 20 pounds", I have these:

1) Do something cultural at least once a month. Some upcoming events:
The Beatles LOVE by Cirque Du Soleil - In Las Vegas
NPR's Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me Live
David Sedaris Live

2) Take a cooking class at Delgado Community College (as I did about 10 years ago).

3) Volunteer at WRBH - Radio for the Blind and Print Handicapped. This one has actually been on my To Do list for a couple of years.

4) Reconnect with old high school and college friends - Scott, Todd, Wild Bill, Drifter, Sean, Kevin, etc. Facebook makes that easier and easier.

Monthly Family Dinner - February 2009

The first Monday of each month, our family gets together. We rotate hosting duties so Carlos and I host every third month. We are hosting in February – right in Mardi Gras season. Here is the menu we are planning.


Salad (Marshall) - Mardi Gras Salad

Toss together -
6 cups sliced/chopped purple cabbage
2 cups sliced shallots (green onions)
4 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
½ cup toasted sliced almonds
1 packet Ramen noodles

Dressing -
6 tbsp. vinegar
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 Ramen chicken flavor packet

Mix dressing together until sugar dissolves. Pour over salad, and mix.



Soup (Carlos) - Soupe a l'ail aux pommes de terre

Ingredients –
1 head of garlic
2 quarts water
2 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
2 cloves
1/4 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 bay leaf
4 parsley sprigs
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
3 cups diced potatoes
Pinch of Saffron
French bread
Parmesan cheese

Directions –
Separate a head of garlic so that you have about 16 cloves. Drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds, rinse with cold water, and peel.

Drop them into your soup pot, along with all the ingredients listed above up to but not including the potatoes.

Boil slowly for 30 minutes. Strain it, and return to the saucepan. Add about 3 cups of diced "boiling potatoes" (I used Yukon Gold) and a good pinch of saffron to the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Serve with French bread and grated Parmesan cheese.


Main Dish (Marshall) - Aurora’s Chicken Pepperoni
Yes, from this movie

Ingredients -
4 (6-ounce) skinless boneless chicken breasts
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 ounces pepperoni, sliced in thin rounds (8 slices)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions –
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pound the chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/2-inch thickness. In a shallow skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the oregano and garlic powder. Season the mixture with salt and freshly ground pepper. Coat the chicken breasts with the bread crumbs.

Saute in the olive oil until browned, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the chicken cutlets to a baking dish. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the tomato, sugar, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the baking pan. Place the slices of pepperoni on top of each cutlet. Sprinkle the tops with cheese.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until the cheese melts and just begins to brown. Serves 8.


Dessert (Marshall & Carlos, actually store bought) – King Cake

Greatest Cover Songs of All Times

Back in my college radio DJ days, one of my shows fell on a Tuesday. (I usually had two or three shows per week - some solo, some with an on-air partner.) All of us Tuesday DJ’s got together at the beginning of every semester and decided to have our respective radio shows (each three hours long, each with a different type of music) every Tuesday a “Two for Tuesday” show.

Our radio station had an unspoken rule: Once a song was played on your radio show, you could NEVER play it again. Because of this, by the end of the semester, I was coming up with very creative ways to present my “Two for Tuesday” shows.

The very last show of the semester became “Reverse Two for Tuesday” shows – meaning that instead of two songs by the same artist, I would play the same song by two different artists. This out-of-necessity creation became a hit, and was anticipated by my audience every semester until I finished the semester’s shows with another edition.

I was thinking of that today because I was listening to Killer Queen: A Tribute To Queen, that Carlos got me for Christmas. It has some great cover songs on it, and thought I’d start making a list of the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time.

Here is what I have come up with so far – in random order.

We Are The Champions (originally Queen) – Gavin DeGraw
Though listening to the song, I thought it was Jonny Lang singing



Totally Hooked (Boston’s More Than A Feeling reworked and remixed) – DJ Peter Presta



Billy Jean (originally Michael Jackson) – Cobra Starship



Rehab (originally Amy Winehouse) – Paolo Nutini



Smooth Criminal (originally Michael Jackson) – Alien Ant Farm



Baker Street (originally Gerry Rafferty) – Foo Fighters



We Can Work It Out (originally The Beatles) – Tesla
Going back to the 1980's, I have always been a closet Tesla fan.



Hey Jude (originally, well, you know) – Wilson Pickett
This is my favorite Beatles cover - even considering Aretha Franklin's "Let It Be" and Stevie Wonder's "We Can Work It Out".



Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (originally Anne Briggs, then Joan Baez) – Led Zeppelin
This may be my all-time favorite Zeppelin song.



Blinded By The Light (originally Bruce Springsteen) – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band



Hazy Shade of Winter (originally Simon & Garfunkel) – The Bangles



I Heard It Through The Grapevine (originally Gladys Night & The Pips) – Creedence Clearwater Revival or Marvin Gaye
Both are great versions. The video is of Marvin Gaye’s version.



Stand by Me (originally Ben E. King) – John Lennon



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Interested in remakes / cover versions? Here is the best web site about the subject that I have found.

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This post looked at newer cover songs. Especially early in their careers, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream and other bands rerecorded old blues songs. There are tons more remakes for me to explore.

That’ll be in a future post.

40th +1 Surprise Party

Last night, Carlos and I joined our other family members for my cousin Paul’s 40th + 1 Surprise Birthday Party, planned by his wife Sarah.

Since there was a Saints game, Paul was supposed to watch the Saints game at an undetermined place and then go to my cousin’s (his sister’s) house at 7:30 pm. The plan fell through when Paul called Suzanne’s husband Steve, asking Steve if he could come over to watch the game – at 2 pm. When people started showing up for the Surprise Party portion of the evening, Paul finally figured it out.

Though it wasn’t a surprise at all, we had fun. My family is quite loud and boisterous. Add in that Sarah was fixing very strong Hurricanes.


Some choice conversation quotes:

My mom introducing Nick (half Filipino) to Carlos (originally from Honduras): “Nick, have you met Carlos? Y’all have the same coloring.”

My sister Christine lamenting that part of her Mardi Gras will be hard to schedule this year: “Karlie [her girlfriend] is having her uterus taken out. I guess she couldn’t wait until after Ash Wednesday.”

My cousin Andree, after hearing the above: “Hey. I had polyps on my uterus too. Cool. Let’s talk about it.”

My mom with my aunt Mary and my uncle Greg listening: “Carlos sure is getting a lot of attention from Angie [a 40-something mom of one of the young kids].”
Me: “Yea, but he’s told me that he wouldn’t know what to do with that. He said that there are too many flaps and folds down there.”
My mom with my aunt Mary and my uncle Greg listening: “Oh my Gawd, Marshall.”


My aunt Barbara at the end of the evening: “We really like Carlos. Almost as much as we like you.”
Me: “I can tell. He was surrounded by people all night. I think y’all like him more than me.”
Barbara: “Well, we do, but didn’t want to tell you that.”

Carlos, as we were driving home after I related that story to him: “It’s just that I’m the shiny new toy. It’ll blow over.”

Tourist In Your Own Town – 2009

Carlos and I planned our third annual Tourist in Your Own Town weekend for a recent December 2009 weekend. It turns out that it was one of the worst weekends weather-wise and health-wise, but sometimes that is what makes for the best memories.


We arrived Friday afternoon to my parent’s Bed and Breakfast (left photo) to 40 degree weather. After unpacking, we had a late lunch at Port of Call. Then we walked around the French Quarter, to the Aquarium, the Riverwalk, stopped in a few hotels to see the decorations, finally ending up at The Mint for an exhibit on money and technology of the 1800’s. On the way home, we stopped at a small supermarket in the Quarter to pick up some sausage and bell peppers to add to the Jambalaya mix that I had brought from home. We cooked a big pot of Jambalaya and settled down on the couch the rest of the evening.

Saturday morning, we woke up to more cold and the threat of rain. We didn’t care; we had a 10 am cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. There were 67 people in the class so we didn’t actually cook, though we did eat the food. (I guess a better description would be a cooking demonstration.) I highly recommend the class – for tourists or natives of New Orleans. Make sure you get Chef Michael as your instructor. He cooked four items: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, Jambalaya, Bread Pudding, and Pralines. As he created each dish, he wove the history of New Orleans into his preparation. For example, as he added okra to the Gumbo, he discussed that it is believed that okra first reached the New World during the days of slave trafficking. Then he discussed slavery in New Orleans.

After the class, Carlos and I walked through the rain down Frenchmen Street to Mona’s for some takeout food. We had planned to go out when the rain subsided, but the rain only got worse. Plus we both had terrible chest colds. We bundled up on the couch, turned on the TV, ate our food and napped all afternoon and evening. It was nice to just cuddle up under the covers. Carlos did, however, have to go out in the pouring rain at one point to move his car. The water was creeping up his tires and he was afraid that the water would get into his car.

Sunday, we got up early and ate breakfast at La Peniche, a couple of blocks from my parent's B&B. Then headed home.
This year’s Tourist in Your Hometown weekend had definitely the least amount of adventure, but it was still quite memorable.

Here’s a link to past year’s weekends:

2007

2008

Ho, Ho, Ho!!! Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

From top down -
Justin Timberlake
Jake Gyllenhaal
Eric Winter
Austin Drage
Anton Antipov
Slavco Tuskaloski
Ryan Phillippe (my favorite of this group)
Ryan LeBar
Phillip Olivier
Lee Ryan
Timothy Olyphant














For those interested, join my Male Stars Shirtless Yahoo Group.

Recipes for the Season

Continuing what I started with my Cooking Challenge idea, I have been stretching my cooking skills during the holidays. I thought I’d pass on the recipes I made.


Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
For our Holiday Meeting (AKA our office Christmas party)
This recipe is originally from my sister Claudia.

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker or chocolate pie crust
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk (you can use low fat or fat free)
1 egg
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

For chocolate glaze:
½ cup mini chocolate chips
¼ cup whipping cream


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. With mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy; gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well.

Arrange raspberries in bottom of pie crust. Slowly pour cheese mixture over fruit. Some may rise, but that’s ok. Bake 30-35 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with whipping cream; cook and stir until thickened and smooth. Spread over cooled pie, then chill pie for a little while.

I used icing to create our university's logo - here blurred for my privacy - on the top.


Layered Dessert (I actually don’t know what it’s called.)
For Christmas Day

Ingredients:
Box of devil’s food cake mix
Eggs as needed for above
2 boxes (5.1 oz per box) of instant vanilla pudding
Milk as needed for above
1 container (12 oz) Cool Whip



Directions:
Make the devil’s food cake according to the package directions. Cool completely.

In a huge bowl, place 1/3 of the cake into the bottom, compacting with a spatula.

Make one box of the instant vanilla pudding according to the package directions. Immediately pour over the cake base, slowly so the pudding won’t disturb the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and add 1/3 of the Cool Whip. Gently place the remaining 2/3 of the cake over the Cool Whip. Then make and slowly add the second box of the instant vanilla pudding over the devil’s food cake layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and add the remaining Cool Whip. Add crushed chocolate or small amounts of icing to the top.

Cool covered from 30 minutes up to 24 hours, then serve.

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Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Work Update

I am the head of a local university's printing department. Our sales have been sluggish. All of the departments have cut back. When their budget has been cut, they find that they can do without business cards, for example, for their staff. Here is an email exchange between my boss and me today.

Boss: I want you to take a hard look at your staffing level. With the major reduction in business how much excess labor capacity do you think you have? I may look at shifting employees percent efforts.

Me: Is “shifting employees percent efforts” code for moving employees from our department into another one? I foresaw the business reduction back in September. Remember at that time you and I talked about trying to really promote the other areas of our business, and to cultivate an additional base of customers? Let me think about it over the weekend and I’ll stop in on Monday.

Boss: It could be code for moving somebody on a temporary basis anywhere from 10% to 100% depending on need or no need. Any permanent shifts would require longer term analysis. If your November is your January, February and March what would you say?

Me: I do have some ideas. Let me really think about it this weekend and get with you Monday morning.

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This economy really needs to get better. Quick! I really don't want to lose any of my staff. Ugh.

Our Next Mayor?

Though I have lived in Jefferson Parish for almost 10 years, I was born and raised in Orleans Parish. (That is, New Orleans for those of you out of town.)


After two terms of hell with Mayor Ray Nagin, the next mayoral election is wide open.

So far, I'm liking James Perry. I have no idea where he stands on the issues, but there is profanity in his commercial. That's funny.

Here is the commercial...


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As I research the other candidates, I'll make a recommendation.

Another Flash Mob

Remember this video - "the Sound of Music in Central Station", originally posted by Jason?

Apparently, the action has a name - Flash Mob - and it's spreading even to Australia:



I found the video on Australian blogger Shannon's site, one of my daily reads (more for his Speedo pics than his commentary).