i want, i want!!!!!!!!

it may be bad that he has influenced me so much.

but thats ok, i miss the doctor.

dear world.

you should all be more like tito and paul.

that is all.

merry christmas..............all 5 of you

to all the folks who read this, have a good christmas.

im not going to post any xmas recipes or anything. right now im working on a zine-like recipe book that ill put out when ever i feel like it. and hopefuly do it frequently, it may have some art and chicago street art as well as food stuff. so if anyone wants to show me how to use microsoft word and a printer...........id love you 4EVA.

oh and just so you know. the people who put up signs like this.

are not f'ing around. look up.

and one more thing. one day has passed. and i miss this girl.



from a quiet, starry small town.

see ya on st. jacks day!!!!!!

warm drinks for cold shoulders.

jamie lynn spears, britney spears' 16 year old sister is prego.

i have reversed my position on eating babies.

in other news. xmas is just around the corner. ill be posting some food ideas soon.
but for now an easy drink for your xmas eve or day.

hot spiced apple cider.
1 jug apple cider
1 lemon-sliced into rounds.
3-4 sticks cinnamin
1 tablespoon cloves
and if you want 1 tbl star anise.

just add them all together and simmer for about an hour. keep hot. enjoy with some cookies. or baby bread.

Adam Joseph Paris

everyone this is adam.

he is the son of dan and sabrina paris. dan was a good friend of mine in high school and still is. we would sit around and play video games(he always beat the crap out of me in 007) and eat candy bars he was supposed to sell for a sports fundraiser at school. we ate lots of nachos in thoes days too. and he has a sense of humor that is nothing less than brilliant.
it's funny, a few of my friends have had babies in the past few years. and i was happy for all of them.
but this time its a different feeling. and im not shure how to describe it. im unbelievably proud just to know them. i was holding back tears in this coffie shop when i first saw the pictures. its amazing to look at a good friend's child and see the future.

and feel overwhelming peace in the fact that people i love are in charge of that future.

Adam Joseph
Born on: December 13, 2007 at 11:09am
Weight: 6 lbs. 13 ozs.
Length: 20 inches

i know this is a food blog for the most part. and i just want to let you all know that in no way do i approve of eating babies.

swayze cakes!!!!!!

after waching the movie point break last night. the greatest move i've seen in months by the way. i got up today thinking about Patrick Swayze and food that would be good on the beach. and the plantain came to mind. i love plantains. for thoes of you who need a quick description, a plantain is a BIG starchy banana. and are very versatile, almost like the potato(but more expensive). if you like the banana taste you can use it in alot of stuff, soup, gnocchi, or just baked and fried. and when they are unripe and green you could break a car window with one-you know, if you lock your keys in or somthing.
so after thinking for like 20 minutes i thought of "swayze cakes". much like the boxty that i posted about last week. SC's are a fried fritter type food made with plantains and chick peas.

1 cup dried chick peas-soaked in water about 4 hours.
2 cups plantain mash. roast in skin at 350 till soft. about 3-4 plantains.
1/4 onion diced small
4-5 crushed garlic cloves
3/4 cup flower
2-3 tablespoons allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon

put plantains on baking sheet and roast with some oil till soft. remove and mash adding salt and pepper to taste.
take soaked chick peas and rough chop. big chunks are ok.
add all ingredients together. be careful with the flower as it is just an estimation on my part. you dont want it to be that thick.
add salt and pepper to taste again.
heat up some oil to fry in, drop some mix into oil, fry on both sides till brown .
i think this would be good with coconut rice. just cook rice with coconut milk and some water.

oh and by the way, check this stuff out. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegrocer/
some chicago street art that i love.

not to be confused with the game on "the price is right"

i hate money. mostly that i have none. and spend it when i should not. and am to dumb to look for a job.

i think im gonna go to a party.

put back together again......

last night my dear friends "headlights" played at the double door. and i must say they could not have rolled through town at a more perfect time. i had a particularly bad day yesterday. and with eyes closed and a smile from ear to ear, it was all gone. i dont know what it is about the songs they write. but to put it simply, they fix me.
about 2 summers ago my grandmother died. she was 97 and had ben in failing health for some time. this was a woman who took in my dad and uncle after their parents died, my dad was around 2 or 3 i think. she was actually their aunt. but they call her mom. her passing was not unexpected. it was like an exhale of breath heald a little to long. but still very sad.
about a week after her funeral i was trying to rember the way she would talk to us, and i couldn't. i could rember the way her house smelled, the taste of the stale marshmallows she would give me. i rember the day we were visiting her and the nurse said "shes more awake than usual today" and i knew at that moment it was the last time i would see her alive. and i was right.
i decided to go see headlights at the monkey that night. and during the song "it isn't easy to live that well" i closed my eyes. trying to escape the feeling of searching for a forgotten voice, and finding nothing but forgetable ones.
i dont know if it was the lyrics, the way erin looks like she will explode from happyness when she plays, or just simply the music. but my mind whent back to the day my parents and i got home and my grandmother was already in the house. and when my dad asked her how she got in because the door was locked. at 80 somthing years old she explained to us how she borrowed the neighbors ladder and climbed in through a window. and i could actually hear her telling the story. ever sense then headlights have held a special place in my heart.

all that to say, these kids do it right.

a perfect example of what happens when you put all your love, excitement, joy, sadness, friendships, life, into what you do. it changes people.

i only have eyes for you.

today is ol' blue eyes 92nd birthday. and in honor of him. i have found a recipe for eggplant parmesan written by frank himself. i was going to post a different recipe, mama-mia farrows' pot brownies. but lets keep this wholesome. right?

For the Eggplant:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut crosswise in 1/2-inch thick slices
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup (1-1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1 (6 ounce) package mozzarella cheese
Tomato sauce (recipe below)
Instructions
Prepare tomato sauce (recipe below) and set aside. Combine flour and salt. Dip eggplant in egg, then in seasoned flour. Saute eggplant slices in hot oil in large skillet for 3 minutes on each side, adding more oil if necessary. Drain slices well on paper towel.

Place 1/2 of eggplant in single layer in 10 x 6 x 2-inch baking dish, cutting slices to fit. Sprinkle with 1/2 of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 sauce and 1/2 mozzarella cheese. Cut remaining mozzarella into triangles. Repeat layers.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot.

Tomato Sauce:
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can tomatoes, cut up
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 bay leaf
Instructions
Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in oil in a large skillet until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove bay leaf and set aside. Proceed with eggplant as above.

this should be paired with a full bottle of gin, a splash of soda, some ice, and a nice fedora.

tuesdays gone........................

well, its finals week. i havent taken a final in like 5 years.


skynard is playing in the coffie shop. i love the midwest.

"mother's ruin"

yesterday was gin day down in champaign. sooooooooooooooooooooooo

jack bless

last week liam asked me how to make "boxty" and i had never herd of it. i do love wikipedia sometimes.
"Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The dish is mostly associated with the north midlands, north Connacht and southern Ulster, in particular the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Cavan. There are many different recipes but all contain finely grated, raw potatoes and all are served fried. The most popular version of the dish consists of finely grated, raw potato and mashed potato with flour, baking soda, buttermilk and sometimes egg. The grated potato may be strained to remove most of the starch and water but this is not necessary. The mixture is fried on a griddle pan for a few minutes on each side, similar to a normal pancake. Traditional alternatives include using only raw potatoes, boiling it as a dumpling or baking it as a loaf. The most noticeable difference between boxty and other similarly fried potato dishes is its smooth, fine grained consistency."
Boxty was seen as so much a part of the local culture in the areas in which it was made, that the following poem was written-
"Boxty on the griddle,
Boxty in the pan,
If you can't make boxty,
You'll never get a man."----ha, well im glad i know now.

one thing that is traditionally served with boxty for breakfasf in england, ireland,and scotland, is blood pudding. it is made from cooking blood with a filler untill it is thick enough to congeal when cooled(it normaly looks like sausage). then it is sliced and fried.Typical fillers include meat, fat, suet, bread, sweet potato, barley and oatmeal. it sounds gross but im gonna try it soon, ill let ya'll know.
i looked up some recipes for boxty. and decided to write my own. as big of a fan as i am of tradition......i wanted to add some more flavor and options.

boxty.
1 medium russet potato. cooked and mashed. 1 cup in the end.
1 medium russet potato. raw, grated using a cheese grater or food processor. 1 cup. (you could sub a sweet potato, or 1/2 sweet potato 1/2 beet)
1 tablespoon roasted garlic paste(you can buy in the store)
3/4 cup flower
1 teaspoon baking soda
about 1 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste.
some things you can add for flavor. if so inclined.
1 tablespoon each cumin and oregano. and serve boxty with salsa.
1 tablespoon curry powder, 1/2 table chilly powder. serve with sourcream and cucumber.

all you do to prepair this is take the cup mashed potato and mix all ingredients except buttermilk. at the end add buttermilk till the mix becomes a thick but runny mush.
heat some oil in a pan. and scoop about 2 tablespoons of mix into oil. cook till brown on both sides. and enjoy. this is a good group brunch item.

modern toilet

12 chain restaurants have opend up in taiwan. called modern toilet. a bathroom themed eatery. so ya the owner wins my "holy crap that guy is my new hero award" this takes guts, and the 12 places are doing well. mostly the people who eat here are between 15 and 35. that makes sense.
all the 100 seats are made out of real toilet seats and napkins are despensed off a roll like toilet paper. the food is served in little toilets, and the ice cream..............well it looks awesome!!!!!






i would eat here every day if i could.

cover me in snow, and get that talking dog away from me.

a new blog site has gone up in champaign. and its great. i miss champaign and its nice to hear news and stuff from people i know. my old head chef alisa demarco writes for it. i miss working with her. she is an amazing cook, and was a great boss. ill be content if someday im half the cook and leader she is. there are very few people i hold in such high respect. on that list would be my parents, my grandmother, carl, and one of my old teachers. not on that list are: W, that guy from the bushes baked beans comercials, and of montreal.

the first snow of the year is one of my favorite times. sit around a fire and read, watch tv, whatever. but that moment when you first step out side and everything you once saw as familiar is now changed into somthing new and different. its wonderful. i see it every year. and it still amazes me.
i've found the best music for this weather is jolie holland. her voice is everything winter to me. check out her record
escondida. and walk in the snow.

and check her out.


its soup weather also. find a place that has soup you like. and eat it.

my 15 cents of gabo.

in an autobiography by Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Count Justice. He talks about putting a 15 cent sticker on his Yale Law Degree frame because he said that was what it was worth to him.
my dad told me about this.

and i feel the same way. after im 80-90 grand in debt the day i graduate. i hope to find a 10 cent sticker. school is very discouraging. but im gonna do what i know to do. and thats be here. i hope it picks up after christmas, when im actualy in a cooking class. but right now gen-ed's are making me crazy. and the fact that i have no desire to talk to anyone at this place makes chi kinda lonely. but iv got the west wing. right?

“What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it.”
 -Gabriel Garcia Marquez

i read this the other day and realized all the things i remember from my life in the last 5 years are just quick smapshots of people. and that makes me happy. and the feelings that go along with their faces. im like a big freekish scrpabook.

just for fun here is a pic of gabo(gabbriel garcia marquez) with a good friend.



i makes me think of talking with carl at the pig.