Back!

Holy crap I've been busy!

Most of my business is on the music front. I've had countless rehearsals to prepare for several shows, one of which is coming up next Sunday!

I designed the flyer, and the wonderful Erica Jones took the photograph. We had a photo shoot a few weeks ago, and the few shots we've seen so far look great. We had a lot of fun with the shoot, and I hope to have the proofs soon so I can upload them to the website.

What website, you ask?? Well, there's not much up there yet, but a few months ago I setup the band website, and have a basic page design up (click anywhere on the initial page to go to the home page). I hope I can get most of the site done over the winter break as I'll have two weeks off and be spending some time in Maryland with Nick's family. Hopefully I'll also get Nick to help me with some of his web coding brilliance so I can get the site up fast and maintain it. In the mean time, I'm going to start devouring some Dreamweaver tutorials to understand this a bit better.

I've been knitting up a storm lately, wonder if it has something to do with the weather. In the summer, I dropped knitting completely in favor of getting out in the world and doing some exploring and getting settled into the new job. After I started commuting on the BART, leaving work at 3:45, and getting a little chilly, my knitting projects have multiplied like tribbles. Since October, I've finished a pair of gloves, a hat, and a vest, and have 3 more sweaters, another pair of gloves, and plans for a scarf in the works. As long as I have soft wool and wooden needles in my hands, I'm happy. Of course, I don't have pictures for any of these things - the lighting in my apartment sucks when I get home. I need to build some photo lighting, but haven't had the time as of late.

Thanksgiving came and went with the event of 13 lovely people eating wonderful food in my apartment. I had to clear out my craft table to make space for everyone, but it was worth it. My immediate family, a few friends, Nick, my neighbors, and even the guy who used to live in my apartment showed up, every one of them with either a beverage or an edible of some sort. I think we cleared about 10 bottles of wine that evening, and let me also give you a sample of the menu:

Kathy's famous Caesar Salad
Deviled Eggs
Crack Stuffing (with sausage and cranberries)
Curried Pumpkin Soup
Greens with Pancetta and mushrooms
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet potatoes with Plantains
Sweet potato fries
Deep Fried Turkey (the best way to do the bird, IMO)
Mom's cranberry sauce
Pecan, Apple, and Pumpkin Pies

There may have been a few more items on the table that were devoured in due time. I still have half a turkey in my fridge, which is saying something for a former vegetarian. We were invited over for another turkey dinner this evening with my Mother, Aunt, and cousins, but turned it down because of the sheer amount of leftovers clogging my aging refrigerator. Despite my best efforts, I am happy to say that after all of this I have not gained any weight after Thanksgiving! I was absent from Wii fit for about 3 weeks, but fortunately not any worse for it. Now I just have to get through X-Mas...

Vote!

Go Vote. It's critical.

...

Bacon

I still think it's way too early for xmas themed songs, but this was funny. The kids at my school have a meat appreciation club - and they decided to have a bacon lunch. This was sent to our online bulletin board. I love my job.


BACON DAY,
The most holiest day, is here! Come to the backyard at 10:45 AM to witness bathrobes and bacon galore! We will be serving:

BACON COOKIES BACON WRAPPED SAUSAGES BACON WRAPPED HOT DOGS BACON-CHIP COOKIES BACON CHOCOLATE BARS CANDIED BACON

Get Ready To Sing Your Favorite Bacon Carols
Break Out the Bacon Tree
Or the Meat-Menorah
Or a prime rib...



CRISPY the BACONMAN

CRISPY the BACONMAN was a jolly happy soul, 
With a t-bone pipe and a MEATBALL nose, 
And two eyes made of prosciutt-o. 


CRISPY the BACONMAN is a fairy tale, they say, 
He was made of MEAT but the children 
know how he got grilled up one day. 
There must have been some magic in that 
Old skillet they found. 
For when they placed him in the pan, 
He began to dance and brown.

O, CRISPY the BACONMAN 
Was alive as he could be, 
And the children say he could laugh 
And play until he went in my belly! 
Thumpetty thump thump, 
Thumpety thump thump, 
Look at CRISPY go. 
Thumpetty thump thump, 
Thumpety thump thump, 
Over the pan below.

CRISPY the BACONMAN knew 
The GRILL was hot that day, 
So he said, "Let's run and 
we'll have some fun 
now before I'm cooked away." 
Down to the village, 
With a fork inside his hand, 
Running here and there all 
Around the square saying, 


EAT me if you can. 
He led them down the streets of town 
Right to the URBAN SCHOOL. 
And he only paused a moment when 
He heard him holler "Stop, you crispy sizzling fool!"

For CRISPY the BACONMAN 
Had to hurry on his way, 
But he waved goodbye saying, 
"Don't you cry,


I'll be cooked well done today." 
Thumpetty thump thump, 
Thumpety thump thump, 
Look at CRISPY go. 
Thumpetty thump thump, 
Thumpety thump thump, 
Over the PAN BELOW!

- Christmas Bacon Time Is Here Lyrics-


BACON time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Bacon in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and MEAT to share

Sleigh bells in the air
Bacon everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there

Bacon time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Something so tasty and crispy
Oh, that we could always see
Such MEAT throughout the year...

Nutella Death Cake

About a week or so ago, a friend had a birthday. It had been a long time since I'd made a cake, and not to be outdone by Nick, the cake king, I decided to whip one up. My original idea was to make some sort of spice cake with cream cheese frosting. After perusing many recipes, I had a flash of inspiration, and this is what happened:



This has been dubbed the Nutella Death Cake, due to the following reasons:

• The cake is chocolate flavored with Frangelico (both in the batter and brushed on the layers)


• Cream Cheese. In the batter, in the frosting.


• Speaking of frosting - there is an entire jar of Nutella in there. Yum.


• Nutella Ganache in between the layers.


• Roasted, chopped hazelnuts around the edges.

We also had to make this cake egg free, as a friend of ours has a severe egg allergy. The accompaniment to this luscious, hazelnutty-chocolate goodness? Peanut butter chocolate swirl ice cream, and vanilla ice cream, also homemade and also egg free.

The Birthday Girl? Loved it. She's a big fan of nutella, needless to say.

Here's a shot of that luscious frosting being slathered on the cake layers:



The cake only looks small because of my wide-angle lens, and Nick's hands are huge.

And, because it would be cruel to leave you without one, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake from A World of Baking by Dolores Casella

All ingredients at room temperature.
2 Cups sifted pastry or cake flour (I used AP)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 ounce package sweet cooking chocolate (I recommend Valrhona)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 pound cream cheese
1 1/2 cups superfine granulated sugar
2 large eggs (for those that are egg-sensitive, use about 1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
Optional: 2 shots Frangelico (hazelnut liquer)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Cream butter + cream cheese until blended, then add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs or yogurt one at a time, then vanilla, then Frangelico. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk, and beat until well blended. At this point, if the batter looks really thick (as it did for me), add a bit more milk and blend until it is still thick but pourable. Pour into two 9-inch buttered + floured cake pans, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until done. I recommend these be slightly underdone to bring out the fudgy consistency. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn onto racks to finish cooling.

Ganache:

In a double boiler, warm about 1/2-3/4 cup of nutella and about 1/4 cup of milk, stir to combine. We did this by eye - you're looking for a smooth, slightly runny consistency but still thick enough to stick to the cake. It needs to be less gooey than Nutella straight from the jar so it's easily spreadable.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1 tablespoon superfine granulated sugar
1 jar (13 oz) Nutella
1/4 cup whipping cream

Beat the cream cheese and sugar with paddle attachment until fluffy. Add the Nutella and cream alternately until well blended. When done, the frosting should be smooth and fluffy. Refrigerate until use.

Hazelnuts:

Roast about 1/2-3/4 pound raw hazelnuts for 15 minutes, until they are fragrant and are golden in the middle. Cool in a damp towel for 10 minutes, then rub vigorously to remove the skins. Some will not come off. When skins are mostly removed, chop finely. Note: I tried putting these in a blender - not a good idea unless you want hazelnut meal. a food processor, however, would probably work really well. Or you could go the easy route and buy pre-chopped and roasted nuts, but the flavor would not be as fresh.

Assembly:

Slice both cakes in half (so you have more surface for the ganache). Liberally brush with more Frangelico. You should now have 4 layers. Place a dot in the center of your cake plate to anchor the first layer, and spread Nutella ganache over this layer. Repeat with the next two layers. Top with final layer, and spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Press chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of cake and top if you desire. May be refrigerated. This cake is super dense and chocolatey, so serve accordingly.

Yum.

Knitting!

Wow, the last two months have flown by! A new job will do that to you I guess. Since I've been taking public transportation a lot more lately, and I want to prepare for "winter" in San Francisco, I've been on a sweater kick. First is a semi-completed Central Park Hoodie which also looks good as a vest - I may re-knit this pattern and alter it after I'm done with this sweater. Only have sleeves and a hood to go!

Next, I have a simple raglan sleeve striped sweater that I've started and not gotten very far on. But hey, it's really easy and good for when I need a mindless knitting project. It looks unintentionally like Harry Potter colors. What's with me and the color brown lately??

It's a sweatshirt tied around your waist kinda day

Over the past weekend, I was discussing weather with friends, and lamented the adoption of Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, and the irrelevance of temperature anyway. We in the bay area are subject to a constantly changing micro-climate, requiring San Franciscans to be prepared with layers at any given time. Recently, I've been a little obsessed with weather reports, as I have access to a current one on my iMac's Dashboard, and have been deciding what to wear that day depending on the weather. I got to thinking, why not just rate the weather in terms of how many layers you will have to wear that day? On a day like today, it will most likely be in the high 80s. Now, this is normally t-shirt and tank top weather. But if you're out in the avenues, or if it's around dusk or later, you'll need to wear a long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt. Too hot for a jacket, but once the wind kicks up, it would be nice to cover your arms as well. A fall day in the low 60s? At least 2 layers and a jacket, or two t-shirts and a hoodie, etc. Anyway, just a thought.

Patriotic

What could be more patriotic than flag-shaped cakes and BBQs? Maybe being proud of your government, but I'm just not quite there yet.



Nick made a strawberry tiramisu in the likeness of the flag!
















We played rock band and drank beer.



A good time was had by all.
Because the weather was San Francisco like, we did not see fireworks.












As is typical for SF during the holidays, the next day was gorgeous weather.

Desiring Rest

It's 5:03 PM, and I can only dream longingly of my bed. It's been a hectic week, and hectic beginning of the next - Friends were married this weekend, an apartment spic & spanned, and more friends requiring rides from the airport late last night. Nick's friends from the east coast flew in for a few days, and of course were delayed. We rescued them with salad, beer, and banana-pineapple cake. Sleep, when we finally got it, was had curled up with my love on the couch. It would have been more restful but for my terribly sunburned shoulders screaming pain at me whenever I moved.

Staying in a house overflowing with guests paid off, as this morning I could afford slightly longer rest before rising early to go to a second job interview, and a short bike ride to the locale. It went well, a thank you letter was sent, and I am now awaiting reply. Soon, I will be off to the races again - Dot Punto. is recording a song tonight at our studio. I'm hoping my energy will return when I leave the office, so I can play my best as I'll be the first track laid down. Late this evening, I'll trek back to my apartment, and finally reach my destination: sweet bliss of bed, with fresh sheets and soft comforter to cradle me.

Tomorrow, I hope to be rested, and have the evening off for barbecue with the east-coasters and knitting. I'll post the recording as soon as it's done.

Thursday at last

It's Thursday. I'm bored at work. I'll get to play Rock Band tonight, yay! I scoffed at it a while ago before I had actually played it, but now am hooked. Playing drums in expert mode is actually challenging, but only because I have to turn my musical brain off and remember that it's a video game. I'm only up to about 80 - 85% accuracy in expert mode. The transcriptions are not note for note, and the kit is scaled down to 5 pieces, where one would normally have at least 7 or 8 with the cymbals. If I learn anything musical about this game, it will be how to play well with a metronome.

Tagged (without spraypaint)

This is a perfect thing for me to do today, as I'm sitting in front of a computer trying to make it look like I'm working.

What was I doing ten years ago?
Hmm, I was...17! Still in High School, but taking college classes in order to flee early (I would later graduate a semester early). I had been playing drums for about 4 years, and was at that time playing in a garage noise rock band with my then boyfriend and best friend Emily - both of whom are now the only people I talk to from my High School. I still had not learned how to drive, so I counted on both of them to drive me around (funny being that my name is Mercedes!).

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. Wake up and recover from my hangover (notice that I'm at work and it's 12:10 PM)
2. knit more on my socks for Sock Wars III!
3. look for a new job + send out a few resumes
4. finish optimizing my iMac + CS3
5. send out renewal check for neighborhood parking permit

Snacks I enjoy:
Ice Cream
More Ice Cream
Milk Chocolate
Spicy Tamari Nori strips
Sesame-Garlic sticks
Bananas

Things I'd do if I had a billion dollars:
Buy the new iPhone (hell I'm going to do that anyway - it's 1/2 the price and now totally awesome!)
Buy a 3-level victorian with a great big backyard and an awesome grill so we can have parties and feed people. I'd live in one flat, and would house family in the other flats (but would not give any family the key to my flat : )
Pimp out my truck (think 4 wheel drive and red quilted vinyl interior).
Start my own school, sort of. I would start a warehouse space with woodworking, automotive, metalworking tools, computers, sewing machines and notions; classes would be held on all different subjects. Would be run as a non profit, with membership scholarships going to those who could not afford to pay.
I would also make sure my family was housed and fed for the rest of their days, and would give money to worthy causes (of which there are many).

Places I've lived:
Sebastopol, CA
Petaluma, CA
Pacifica, CA
Tucson, AZ
San Francisco, CA
Berkeley, CA
Oakland, CA

People I'd like to know more about:
Our future leader, Obama
Evil Mad Scientist Labs
Other than that, don't know - I've been busy getting to know a few new friends in my life that came along with the new boy :)

Now I have to figure out who to tag with this...

Noise from the Pacific

One of my bands, Dot Punto. recently filmed a podcast. Watch Dot Punto on Pacific Noise


Here's the flier for our show this week!

Cookbooks

Once upon a time, I had many cookbooks, which I perused infrequently. Little by little, cookbooks were hastily left in kitchens of houses I fled for brighter prospects. Now that I am nesting in my open white studio, my pitiful cookbook collection mocks my spacious kitchen. I have been referencing many recipes online, but the hazards of laptops combined with foodstuffs make me nervous. Any suggestions for cookbooks? Specifically baking, and possibly Italian and Asian cuisine?

bacon wrapped bananas

DSC_0214
Originally uploaded by mattdork

Great picture of me, isn't it? A couple of weekends ago, I got together with the neighbors and a couple friends for a deep fried food party. We started with tempura vegetables, lotus and potato chips, stuffed jalepenos, and moved on to plantains and deep-fried grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. What I'm holding in this picture is a piece of bacon wrapped banana. I have gone to the dark side in a big way : ) Though tasty, I have to say I will not indulge in so much fried food again for quite some time. At least we also had a salad to offset some of the fried badness.

Sock Wars III Round two

Friday I received one lone sock and the start of the second, knit in gorgeous yarn by my target (she knit the one on the left). I knit most of the leg portion while watching Napoleon Dynamite, a highly overrated and only slightly funny film that was only redeemed by the beautiful cinematography. Anyhoo, I'm down to the heel this morning and will have these out to my next target on Monday, muah ha ha! We'll see how long I'm in the game...

Cooking

Now, I've always loved cooking, but several factors have been forcing me to break out my cookware much more frequently. First off, there is a serious lack of restaurants and groceries in my area - the only place within walking distance is the pupuseria across from BART. It's good, but not for every day or even every week as it's kind of greasy. Second, I have to drive whenever I need to get groceries, so I've been making much more thoughtful food purchases in order to maximize the time between grocery trips without spending too much or wasting food. Third, I have a huge, well thought out kitchen with a gas stove, and my collection of kitchen tools has grown to halfway decent! These factors combined with no roommates and my dislike of wasting food have caused me to cook food at least 4 times a week, and I'm even good about not wasting or wanting leftovers.

So just what have I been cooking?
Lotus Chips! These were really easy and tasty, though a bit oily as I did not have a proper fryer or drainer. Though, a rack over some paper towels works pretty well. I'm going to make more soon when my neighbors bust out their deep fryer.


Yogurt - I managed to save this when it could have easily become a science project. I made the mistake of trying to make too much at once, and had to strain out the whey after letting it warm all night. No matter - it was thick, tasty, and only slightly curdled when I tried reheating it on the stove top before letting it warm again. I finished it off with some Meyer Lemon curd I made a while back. Yum!

I've also been baking bread with a vengeance - I've stopped buying it and am close to running out of flour! It's so easy for me to make that I'm determined to make a ton of dough one day and freeze it so I can have fresh bread practically whenever I want. We shall see...

Still in the game!

Huzzah! Just checked my mail and the only thing delivered today was NetFlix! I'm still alive in sock wars and expecting some incomplete socks to be delivered within a couple of days so I can hone in on my next target!

Mwah ha ha ha...

Flamingos

I finally had a chance to do some yard work this Sunday, which included relocating a jasmine vine that was root bound in a pot growing into the soil beneath, and rescuing some jade succulents my neighbor pulled out of our communal planters. The pink flamingos came from the dollar bin at Target - I almost want more, but I think two is all my small yard can handle. Next? A Hammock!











They're just so darn cute!

Bang!

Socks are in the mail as of noon yesterday! My target hasn't completed hers yet, so I'll probably get a new pair to knit, providing I don't get killed in the meantime...

Sock Wars III!

Sock Wars III is on. I've got a target, some hand-dyed yarn, a pattern, and the entire weekend scheduled for knitting. I may even leave early from work today to begin knitting my weapon. My goal is to assassinate at least one competitor with hand-knit socks! We shall see...