Spicy Sneezy

Just made some hot chile sauce for dumplings, leaned over for a sniff and jumped around like a rabid Ring-tailed Lemur. Good times.

Review of American History X

This allegory of (north) American class and race struggles does a very good job of provoking thought. I think something gets lost in translation though. The violence and systemic manipulation of the individuals showcased in the film are pretty accurate. However I don't think it's quite “on the mark”.

Something is missing.

One thing that is not missing is the comfortable Hollywood ending. Perhaps that's the reason that although the film does resonate with me, it doesn't convince me. Would never make my top ten, even though I do enjoy it.

It's a grainy fax of what really goes on. If I made the film, I would have also made a comparison of how discrimination is around us all the time. Hiring practices, the way people are treated in stores, etc.

I still give it a 7.5/10

Thoughts on Eviction

Well, it turns out that the neighbours upstairs will be gone by April 15th. Thank goodness for that! They weren't the worst neighbours as far as noise goes but they sure as hell were not the best. Way too many disturbed nights because of them since they moved in. Hopefully the next ones will be silent monks that float over the floor and have taken a vow of silence.

I don't know what caused them to get so behind in their bills. I don't particularly care either.

However they certainly don't seem to have done anything to remedy the situation, and now this is what they find themselves in. On days when I'd work from home over the past year I realised that neither one of them were working.

I think that if one or both of them had obtained a job of any sort they would have been able to find a way out of this situation before it came to this.

Bon voyage.

Corn Starch is Your Friend + A Crack at Some Tex Mex Chicken Morsels

My cooking tip today. Corn starch is your friend. It's very useful when you want to thicken a sauce quickly. Tex Mex things like taco filling, or Asian sauces benefit from this. Just be sure to combine it with water in a separate container with water before adding it to avoid lumps. When you put it in a hot liquid as a slurry it will thicken a sauce quickly and well.

Today I'm test cooking some super spicy burrito style (sauced) tweaked 1/2" chicken meat for use as a nacho plate topping. Chili powder, garlic, cumin (a wee bit), cayenne (a lot), salt, onion powder, corn starch. It should turn out well, but I'm curious as to how the vast amount of cayenne I added will work out overnight as it's refrigerated.

It's pretty basic Tex Mex, brown and braise, but the corn starch speeds matters up depending on how much you add. I always make a decent amount of the corn starch slurry and set it aside, adding some immediately, but reserving some to balance heat/thickening time and desired consistency. You will find that at higher heat settings the thickening can sneak up on you.

Thoughts of a New Project - Cookbook

I'm pondering the idea of putting together a cookbook. It would be from the perspective of a man that lives alone that really enjoys food. Creativity, worldwide flavours combined in new and creative ways, relative simplicity requiring a solid but not extensive pantry.

Hmm, how does one put together a cookbook in a format that may be published for submission? Practice practice practice in the meantime. Experiment on friends, and maybe watch Julie and Julia, heh.

Super Amazing Music Festival in Montreal

An extravaganza of alternative industrial, EBM, darkwave, etc music!

A View of Celebrity Today

Had fun participating in Adrianne Curry's webcast tonight, such a nerd LOL (her). A woman who is married to a Brady. Time to hit the pillow soon I guess. Tomorrow is Thursday, one step closer to Saturday.

Ouf!