Life without a lenscap

[Be warned. I have not edited this post. If you think it's because I am lazy, you are correct!]



I departed the Hein/Darke abode, and was on my way across Texas! WHEEE! It was a 10 hour driving day, and I finally hit the Hostel in the wee hours of the night. I was grateful to be done, and as I carried stuff into the N'awlins Hostel, which is, by the way a really awesome and really cheap place to stay in New Orleans, I passed 4 guys on the porch with a 40 of beer. It was one of the initial weekends of Mardi Gras, and I had picked up some french fries at a local place as I rolled in to the city, so I offered them some fries. Politely they declined, but instead they offered me some beer. I told them I'd be back, dropped my stuff off on my bunk, and came back to the porch, where I happily downed their beer.



We hung out on the porch for a bit, where I learned their life stories. They were visiting from Pittsburgh, had already been out the night before, and were planning on getting royally shitfaced. And, they quickly informed me: "So are you." Who am I to deny the request of four complete strangers on a porch in Louisiana?

Exactly!

We sat and talked for a bit, amusing ourselves with discussion of King Cake and the drunken ladies who continued to flirt with me as I repeatedly told them I was gay. It was a good evening. Soon, we were out the door and headed towards Bourbon Street, where I was informed "my mind would be blown."

Two promises!

We arrived at Bourbon Street around 12:45 a.m. and. Well. It was blown. Have any of you seen Season 2 of True Blood? You know when MaryAnn is in the town, and she basically causes this orgy and everyone basically just starts fucking in the street partially or completely naked and completely drunk or stoned out of their minds? Ok. That is the closest I can come to describe this experience. Except that there were police horses. And there was no *ACTUAL* fucking. I think.



It was vaguely incredible, but as someone with space and crowd issues - intensely overwhelming. I followed my hosts to a bar where they supplied me with grain alcohol. [!!??!!] and we wandered the street aimlessly.

One of my compatriots found a packet of pamphlets intended to convert the heathens of the affair to Christians lightly trampled in the gutter and took it upon himself to begin distributing them himself. I admit that I found it quite hilarious, but as I mentioned above, I found the entire experience enjoyable, but a bit too overwhelming, so after an hour I bid good evening to my compatriots, and made my way back to the hostel for a night of sleep. Sleep was great! I highly recommend it.



The next morning, surprisingly, did not come too early, though I was the first in the hostel awake at about 7:30, and I quietly showered and prepared for the day. I had gotten accustomed to traveling now, and I was enjoying the rhythm I'd created. I burst out of the hostel with my camera bag on, enjoying the crisp but fairly warm day and determined to wander aimlessly for hours. Success, kids.

I walked down to the waters edge, and made my way to the Cafe Du Monde, where I was informed I was to try their Beignets.



Guys.

Have you had beignets?

'Cause.

Um.

They're pretty amazing.

I arrived to a line stretching a good quarter of a mile, no exaggeration, and I wandered down to an area behind the restaurant to get a better look, attempting to decide if I actually had intentions of waiting in this line. There I noticed a man in a wonderful striped uniform, wandering. I smiled at him, and he came over and asked me how many Beignets I would like. I felt like I had just discovered a cheat code. I asked for a bag, and gave him the money needed. Two minutes later, he came back with the Beignets. SUCCESS. This is the best system ever.



I walked a bit further as I destroyed what had become the new best-thing-ever-to-eat-ever and hopped on a trolley which would take me to the main drag. I had done my research and discovered the N'awlins bear group was meeting along one of the parade routes that day to drink beers, talk, and watch the parade. Scary though this was to me as a shy-folk, I decided it would be a good thing to do, so I wandered my way to where the watching was occurring.

Everyone was really friendly as I've come to discover is the norm in the south. I encountered two LJ folk, though I didn't really get to interact with either, as I didn't know one was an LJ user [lightthewayhome] and I wasn't yet friends with one of them [charliebearnj]. The parade was a hoot, too. I was glad to have found people I could hang out with in the city again, though I had enjoyed wandering aimlessly on my own, it's always more fun to do things with others. We sat and talked and watched the world walk by, and soon it was late afternoon and I was invited to a super bowl gathering at a bar called John Paul's.



Did I mention I was in New Orleans during the Super Bowl? Oh. I was in New Orleans during the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl that the Saints won. OH my. Do you want to talk about an amazing experience? That was unbelievable. I was really glad to be in a bar with locals, far away from Bourbon Street. Sharing in their genuine joy and spirit of the game was unbelievable. I keep using the word unbelievable, which is probably getting redundant. It was infectious, and I, who have never once gave one shit who won the Super Bowl, found myself caring deeply, and getting into the game. What a community.



And the saints won, dudes. And the city EXPLODED in fire, light, and joy. I was away from the downtown and I could hear it from where I was. It was an unrepeatable, irrefutably amazing moment, that I will certainly not forget within my lifetime. I stayed with them and celebrated in an incredibly welcomed way for a good many further hours before attempting to drive back to my hostel. I made it in tact, and snuggled into my bunk for my last slumber in New Orleans.

The next morning found me awake early again, so I did not have to fight for the shower once again. Joy! I threw my every belonging in my bag with a few beads as souvenirs, and said goodbye to my hostel.



Drove downtown for one last walk-about before my long drive to Atlanta. After parking, I made my way to Cafe Du Monde again, this time getting two bags of Beignets because I had already become an addict. I found my new best friend in a striped uniform again, and he hooked me up in the most subtle way possible. Is this what doing a drug deal feels like? Are beignets drugs? Why aren't there beignets in Boston? When can I have them again? I think I have a problem.

I had one goal in New Orleans when I began the trip, and that was to find the Ignatius Reilly statue I had heard rumors of. I have read A Confederacy of Dunces a large number of times, and in fact, it is one of my three favorite books of all time. I love it. It was thrilling to be in the city it was based in, and even more so to discover I loved this city [I would like to live there some day - a fact that makes my sister stare at me like I'm vaguely insane, and my mother quiver] I am not sure where they are hiding this statue. I tried hard to find it, and failed. Thankfully, I found this hot dog cart on my journey, and I was getting close to the time I had to leave by, so I counted it as a close second ACOD reference.



And then I wandered to my car, sadly, wishing I had far more time to explore the city. I turned my keys, cranked the stereo, and enjoyed the final bits of neighborhood as I made my way towards my one night stay in Atlanta.

Show: HAIR
Theatre: Al Hirscheld Theatre, 302 W. 45th St.
Date of Show: 12/16/09 – 2:00 PM
Book and Lyrics By: Gerome Ragni and James Rado
Music By: Galt MacDermott
NY Times Review Link: Click Here.
Thoughts:

• This was without question one of the best theatre experiences of my life.  The cast was astounding – the acting and singing was beyond amazing, and the way we as the audience were brought into the production was unforgettable.  It felt like you were part of the tribe, and the interaction worked perfectly.  It did not in any way get in the way of the emotional lows of the show – every piece came together fluidly.  I was not a big fan of the original cast recording of HAIR, but I gave the revival recording a listen and fell in love.  I recommend you open your mind to it, as well.  It is populated with amazing talent. and skill.  Going on stage at the end with the cast was something I was in no way expected, and it left me trembling for at least a half-hour after I left [in a good way].  I mean.  I can’t oversell it.  It was awesome.  Yes.

A few months ago, I was thumbing through the tour dates of bands I like, and I stumbled across the fact that Between The Buried And Me was going to be soon playing in Albany. Now I learned about the band from my friend and amazing photographer Angry Alan [link]. Alan lives in Albany, so I contacted him to see if he was going. Not only was he going, but he managed to score us free tickets and photo passes. This was my first time having a photo pass to a concert, and it was pretty effing thrilling. I pretty much lost it.


Between The Buried And Me is a heavy metal band based out of Raleigh, NC. The members of this band are some of the most talented musicians I have encountered. They provide sharp tactful harmonies at a speed that is dizzying to jet fighters. But they aren't simply hard or fast to be hard or fast, they have carefully thought out rhythms, every instrument and vocal working together to make a song that is more like an artistic piece. The lyrics are impacting and powerful, and they slow it down occasionally, showing their diversity and skill as musicians is not limited to one styling. Seeing them live was a rather unbelievable experience.

( 10 more images under here - including my 3 FAVORITES. )

Chicken Bacon Roulades


Ingredients:

• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 10 bacon slices (about 1/2 pound)
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• Lemon pepper seasoning to taste (or ground black pepper with a little lemon zest)
• 6 Tbsp grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
• 1 Tbps olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream [Now get She's So Heavy by the beatles stuck in your head.]

Directions:

1. Working in batches, cook the bacon over medium heat in an ovenproof skillet [if you're me, you can use the pan you have, and unscrew the meltable handle and put the parts that won't melt in the oven. Yup. I'm crazy], until lightly brown but still flexible (not crisp). Place the bacon on paper towels to drain.
2. Cook the shallots in the remaining bacon fat over low heat, stirring, until softened. Transfer the shallots to a bowl or something that lets the fat, oil, grease, etc stay in the pan. Preheat oven to 300°F.
3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. With smooth side of a meat pounder pound each breast to 1/8-inch thickness. [If like me, you do not have a meat pounder and the stores are all closed, a sherry bottle works surprisingly well.] Discard plastic from boned side of each breast. Sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper (or ground black pepper and a little lemon zest) and salt. Place 2 1/2 slices of bacon lengthwise (parallel with grain of flesh) along middle of each breast. Top with shallots and Parmesan. Using plastic wrap to help you, tightly roll up each breast lengthwise, tucking in the ends to enclose the filling. Secure seams with wooden toothpicks.
4. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to reserved fat in skillet and heat over medium high heat. Brown roulades on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
Transfer the skillet to middle of oven and bake roulades until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. [You could totally put them in a different container if you're not insane enough to unscrew the handle and your pan isn't oven safe]
5. Transfer chicken to a plate with tongs and keep warm, covered with aluminum foil. Pour off fat from skillet. (The handle is hot. If you couldn't figure this out, I can't help you.) Add wine to the skillet and deglaze over medium high heat, scraping up brown bits. Boil wine until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add garlic and butter. Cook mixture over medium low heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook roux, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth and cream and bring to a boil, whisking. Simmer the sauce, whisking, 2 minutes.
6. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Keep sauce warm. Remove the wooden toothpicks from roulades and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Spoon some sauce in center of each of 4 plates and arrange roulade slices decoratively on sauce.

Results: This is the best recipe I have made so far. It was so delicious my mouth smacked me. In it I learned I need to learn the best way to cut chicken, and also how to pound it without destroying it. But It turned out deliciously, both the night of making and lunch the next day. I highly recommend giving it a shot. So tasty. I am salivating at it's memory.

Recipe from Simply Recipes

Turkish Noms

Restaurant of Nomming: Pasha Turkish Cuisine
Location of Nomming: Arlington, MA
Menu description of Noms: Their online menu is down for the moment, so this will have to be filled in later.
Cost of Noms: ? See above.
Thoughts on Noms: This was not just my first turkish food, but my first time having lamb as well. All the food was quite tasty! I was nomming with my friend Dr. Ian, and he was familiar with the food and ordered us some appetizers and suggested the lamby dish I attempted. It was all rather tasty. Different flavors than I had had before, and than I had expected. Rather enjoyable - I'd gladly give it a second go, with a little more adventurosity. It's a word now. The atmosphere of the restaurant was nice too. Rather enjoyable. Yes.



( Some more + my dinner companion )

guiser1's Crack N Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled
• 1 med onion, chopped
• 10 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 med sweet pepper, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 pound of macaroni
• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
• 4 T flour
• 4 C warm milk
• 16 oz pckg of American Cheese slices (preferably Kraft)
• 8 oz pckg cream cheese
• 20 saltines
• 2 T butter

Directions:
[Direct from the chef's words]

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil a pot of water to cook the pasta in. Add lots of salt to the water.
3. Cook the bacon til crisp. Remove from the oil and turn it into small crumbly bits.
4. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes. I don’t like firm pasta.
5. Sauté the onion, garlic and pepper in the bacon grease til translucent.
6. While the veggies are cooking, heat the milk in the microwave.
7. Drain the veggies (to remove all the extra grease).
8. In a sauce pan, melt the stick of butter and add the flour. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
9. Add the warm milk to the flour/butter mixture, whisking constantly till it gets thick.
10. Add the cheeses, melting each one a little before more is added. I do this on medium heat so as not to burn the cheese
11. Drain the pasta.
12. Throw the pasta, the bacon crumblies, the sautéed veggies and the cheese sauce into a big pot (preferably one you’ve buttered).
13. Crumble the saltines in a microwave safe bowl and add the butter. Microwave for 20 seconds and mix. Scatter the crumbs over the top of the mac & cheese.
14. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
15. Orgasm.

Results: So, Joffrey posted this a while ago, and I read it and thought "That looks tasty. And it has bacon. And I've always wanted to try mac 'n' cheese. Well, I finally did. And good lord in heaven. I mean, it's amazing. Please make this. It is wholly fitting of the title crack and cheese. I look forward to the uber-supply of left-overs I have hanging around now. Oh man. It's gonna be fantastic. I'm literally salivating at my desk in anticipation. Not even exaggerating.

Recipe from Jeffrey/guiser1

Chicken Pasta with Thyme-Mint Cream Sauce


Ingredients:

• 1 pound pasta, such as linguine or fettucini
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock


• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat 4 quarts of salted* water in a large pot for the pasta. As the water heats, prepare the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them out initially and then not stirring them, so they have an opportunity to brown. Once lightly browned on one side, use tongs to flip the pieces over so they brown on the second side. When pieces are browned on both sides, and just cooked through, remove to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and let liquids reduce by half (turn up the heat if necessary). Add the cream, mint, thyme, lemon zest, honey, salt, and vinegar. Reduce the sauce by half again.
3. Once the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and cook following directions on pasta package. When pasta is ready, drain and add to cream sauce when cream sauce has been reduced by half and is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add chicken to the pasta and sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Results: Well, when it first came out, it was terrible. It kind've tasted like chicken-pasta dipped in tea. Yeeaah. About that. No thanks. However, as a leftover, I was surprised. It was delicious! Perfect for work lunches.

Recipe from Simply Recipes

Lewis and I traveled down to Washington, D.C. [Yes, I know it isn't technically a state, but for my purposes, it counts] to attend the National March for Equality, and whilst there we had a grand old time.

Lewis graciously drove, which meant that in between conversation I got to snooze in the car. We arrived fairly early on friday, and grabbed a snack at a burrito place, and took a walk-around, stopping to watch some skateboarders fall do tricks.



From there we met my old friend Liz for dinner! [Yay!] Lewis let us wander and get a drink, and very kindly volunteered to gather our car at it's lot. We were both pretty tired, so we crashed for the night, to wake up the next morning and begin our day with french toast at Mr. Henry's, followed by a walk-through of a farmer's market, where we got to sample an amazing apple I've never heard of before, and found a small folk band playing outside a cafe. It was neat to see the market in all it's aspects. So good to smell all the real live smells. Delicious.


( More rambling dialogue and photos! )

Chicken Piccata


Ingredients:

• 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total)
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup flour
• Salt and pepper
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine [I had dry white wine, so I used that.]
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brined capers
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. If the breast pieces you are working with are large, you may want to cut them each into two pieces. If the pieces are still thick after butterflying, put them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to 1/4-inch thickness.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Rinse the chicken pieces in water. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture, until well coated.
3. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces, do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cook the other breasts in the same manner, remove from pan. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.
4. Add the chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Results: confession time: I have never had, nor seen up close and in person, Chicken Piccata. So... you know.. for all I know, it was all wrong. I wasn't crazy about the sauce, it was a little bitter, but I got it a little more on the second piece of chicken. It was tasty, but it wasn't my favorite dish ever.

Recipe from Simply Recipes

[List]

Red Wine Beef Daube


Ingredients:

• 4 pounds Boneless Beef Chuck or other Stew, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 750-ml bottle full-bodied red wine or a mixture of bottle ends
• 1 cup concentrated [1 quart simmered down to 1 cup] Broth
• 2 carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut into 1 inch sections
• 2 Onions Quartered
• Bouquet Garni [This is like.. basically a bunch of herbs tied together... I used Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary, and Bay Leaves]

Directions:

1. Select a tall, narrow pot.
2. Put the beef, wine, broth, carrots, and onions in the pot, and then nestle the bouquet garni in the center. Bring to a simmer and skim off any froth.
3. Adjust the heat so the liquid is at a gentle simmer - you want a bubble or two every second - cover, and cook on the stove top or in a 325 degree oven.
4. Check every ten minutes or so and adjust the burner heat or oven tempreature as needed to maintain the gentle simmer.
5. Cook for about 2.5 hours, or until a skewer easily slides into a cube of meat.

Results: It was tasty enough, but it wasn't like... amazingly tasty. At least not the first time. The leftovers, however, were far more satisfying. I'd never even heard of Daube, so it's possible I really messed something up.

Cooking - James Peterson [2007 : Ten Speed Press]