Cooking: Hard Cooked Eggs

I spent one night watching a lot of Alton Brown videos and stumbled upon a simple way to hard cook eggs. I stopped hard boiling them altogether because they were smelly after a while and the yolks were too crumbly. I could never get it right, until now! My breakfast today was hard cooked egg with salt (on one flat edge of the big piece), pepper (on one flat edge of the small piece) and savory cashew mustard.

More Egg Acrobatics!
Bed Stuy Eggs Benedict and Stuffed Boiled Eggs // Truffled Brie Eggs // Eggy Toast

Facts N' Cheese Episode 10: Paprika Goat Cheese and the Brooklyn Chili Takedown

Welcome to Facts n' Cheese! It's like Mac n' Cheese, but not! Join me on my awkward trek through cheeses of the world. In each episode, I'm joined by a friend and I make them eat cheese while I spout out all I know about a particular curd conglomeration. Special thanks to Jeff Stockton for designing our logo as well as Ryan Darrenkamp, Lisa Uhlman and Vance Spicer for their beer, house, camera equipment and editing!

Facts N' Cheese Episode 10: Paprika Goat Cheese from BLT / IDM on Vimeo.

Episode 10 features homemade spicy Paprika goat cheese, my new foodie friend Hannah Brehm and the song "Get Awesome" by Adam Gets Awesome. In honor of my return to the Brooklyn Chili Takedown (coming up this Sunday at the Bell House!), I decided to share my chili powder recipe with you...sort of.

More about Paprika goat cheese:

• If you find someone with a goat cheese allergy, DO NOT GIVE THIS TO THEM.
• My Paprika cheese made its debut at the Young and Hungry launch party this past Summer.
  
• Fresher, younger goat cheese works better than aged chevre. The tangy flavor works with the spiciness of the chili powder in almost the same way that citrus goes with spicy Mexican food.
• When you coat goat cheese in any spices or powders, do not wrap it in plastic! It will sweat. Store any goat cheese projects in a small wooden box with tight fitting plastic wrap and holes poked into it. I don't recommend playing with goat cheese affinage more than a week unless you are a certified affineur, microbiologist or have access to temperature controlled a clean room.
  
• You will not find Paprika Goat Cheese in my chili on Sunday (at least, not this year).
  

Catch up!

Facts N' Cheese Episode 1
Facts N' Cheese Episode 2
Facts N' Cheese Episode 3
Facts N' Cheese Episode 4
Facts N' Cheese Episode 5
Facts N' Cheese Episode 6
Facts N' Cheese Episode 7
Facts N' Cheese Episode 8
Facts N' Cheese Episode 9

Question: Would you eat this crap?

...because I TOTALLY DID!Fried egg, garlic fried rice and corned beef (from a can).

Bacon, chewy overcooked Cheddar and chives on a saltine.

Spicy garlic stir-fried cauliflower, fried egg and more corned beef.

Cooking: Longaniza, Kale and Macaroni

I'm experimenting with different meats (for no particular reason) and I had some leftover spicy longaniza to eat. After I sauteed the meat, I piled on some kale, covered it and let it steam with the heat off. Tossed the fine mixture with roasted garlic, elbow pasta, hot pepper flakes and topped it with grana padano.
Since the longaniza is so oily, I didn't need any olive oil to coat the pasta. Yeah, that's gross and unhealthy but who are we to waste ANYTHING in this economy? I'm on my 2nd bowl already!

Photo: Boozecats.com Launched This Weekend

My friend Ryan is ridiculous, so are his roommates Lisa and Vance. They're the swarthy crew of talent that helps me produce episodes of Facts N' Cheese. We spent a couple hours in their lovely apartment (where Green Point kisses Williamsburg). There's more cooking, more chiptunes, more beer and of course, more cheese! However, last night shifted focus to Ryan's newest project: Boozecats.com !
From their About page:

Boozecats was inspired in part by Lisa's frantic search for a photo of herself that did not contain beer. I realized every one of our pictures has beer in it somewhere, so I decided to edit them all out using cats. This site was made to showcase boozecat images and to encourage others to make their own. Submit a photo of your own or rate the ones on display and talk about how awesome this is. Remember: this is awesome. Don't forget.

Unfortunately, I have a similar problem! Do any of you have a photo of me where I'm "appropriate" and not holding a drink? Mom needs a photo for the DLV holiday card...or should I send her a Boozecat?

Event: I spent Halloween in Philly

I had hazy camera-phone eyes on Halloween when I took a bus down to Philly to check out the haps. Went to a diner called Honey's Sit N' Eat where I snarfed biscuits and gravy:
Tommy shared some of his latke and corn muffin. Uh huh, good stuff--especially with their house made blueberry jam. Afterwards, we figured out our Halloween costumes. I didn't take any pictures, but I was a high school track star. We headed to an outdoor party where Goofbox Cowboybox Backstreetbox Jukebox the Ghost played under a tent. The set was mostly new dancey songs, look out 2010! It's going to be a nice surprise.
Afterwards, it started to pour hard outside. All of us retreated to an evening of Thai fried rice, miso chick peas, kidney bean stuffed potatoes and lot's of CANDY during screenings of The Wicker Man (the original) and Midnight Meat Train. Had some brunch at Sulimay's (see this post) and explored the old town. Talked to an awesome old dude about Benjamin Franklin and the Philosopher's society. Best of all, the National Liberty Museum had "pay what you wish" day! I couldn't have asked for better comedy gold:
Until next time, Philly! I'm pretty bummed that I can't get out to 8static tonight. If you're into the chiptunes, it's a killer line up with Trash 80, Glomag and Animal Style with Enso and Dan Winckler on vizzies!

Question: How do you eat your leftover pizza?

I put mine in the toaster, slice it on a diagonal and sprinkle gross dried out parm, stale red pepper flakes and onion powder. Good ranch dressing as a dip if I have it (stuff you find in diners).

What's your poison?

PIZZA PIZZA

Capybara Eats Pizza in Eugene // Pineapple Pizza Party // Kale Pizza at Roberta's // Anselmo's // Breakfast Pizza

Spain: Barcelona Round-Up and Guest Blog on The Young and Hungry

After my Summer trip to Barcelona, I shared my restaurant recommendations with The Young and Hungry. Click the picture for my Facebook album of mobile photos!

Food I made in Barcelona!
Breakfast #1 // Bocadillos #1 //Bocadillos #2// La Boqueria // Breakfast #2 // Green Tea Sangria // Catalonian BLT

Drawing: Starscream (Remixed)

I saw Starscream last week and my camera-phone died. Here's my mini tribute drawn on the back of a medical bill. I should pay that in case their next show DESTROYS me.

I talked about Starscream before!
Download "Future and it Doesn't Work" // IAYD + Starscream at Pulsewave

Event: Blip Festival, 2009 at the Bell House + My Chip-Life Story

I've been reloading the Blip Festival website like a mad woman, watching BlipStarter slowly creeping its way up to success! I jumped into chiptunes back in college when I discovered the 8 Bit Construction Set and Nullsleep. From there, I started going to Pulsewave when I moved to New York. Never thought I'd be schlepping around Brooklyn late at night with these hooligans. The chiptune community spirit is astounding and inspiring. Only after 1 year of working for the Blip Festival and the Tank, I've booked chip shows and even started to write my own music.

Even though Blip made its fundraising goal, there is an exclusive 8bitpeoples compilation (8bp106) available only to donors of $10 or more. Most excitingly, at the $100 level, donors get an invite to a rare performance with Random and Covox (performing as CONDOM, no lie).

"Trash-bin symphonies and ray-chasing pixel pushers herald the explosive return of Blip Festival New York City, 2009. The three-day music and arts festival returns to Brooklyn's Bell House December 17th, 18th, and 19th and is presented by Manhattan arts organization The Tank, in partnership with NYC artist collective 8bitpeoples.

Entering its fourth year of celebrating the best and brightest from the realm of chipmusic and its related disciplines, the festival showcases the use of the former heavyweights of computing such as the Commodore 64 and Amiga, the Atari ST and 2600, and the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy to create arresting music and visual art.

The festival, now one of the worlds largest and longest running events of its kind, continues to evolve with a greater breadth of international artists, a growing sophistication of styles and creative vocabulary, and a forward-thinking enthusiasm driven home by over two dozen of the worlds best musicians and visualists.

If there's one thing festival-goers can expect, it's to have their expectations blown away. And the high-energy, low-res live experience is also supplemented by daytime workshops, film screenings, and open mic events -- all in an open, friendly, all-ages atmosphere, accessible to the hardcore fan and the chipmusic neophyte alike." (via Blip Festival website)

More chiptune related posts
Blip 2008 Double Disc //FFWD Covers Justice // Music Muster

Video: Herb Alpert - "Jump Street" + Famous DLVs in the world

Growing up, I've been told by my father's side of the family that we de la Vegas are meant for greatness. Creative bouts of passion and firey sass. Being a biology nerd at the time, I didn't know what the hell they were talking about until now.

That is my poet-Aunt Yvonne de la Vega! She is currently hostess of WORDBEAT Poetry and Jazz Joint on BlogTalkRadio where she spins jazz tracks and callers can lay down some spoken word over it. Her next show is 11/8 at 11pm.

Also , I think there just needs to be more dancing in the street. Just sayin'.

Capybara Tour: Eugene, OR - Day 2

We loaded up the gear for Capybara's 2nd show in Eugene, OR at Sam Bond's Garage. We were early and very hungry, so we sat down at the Pizza Research Institute. Since we like to try everything, we got 4 types of pizza split over two large pies: 1 [Pear, vegan pesto & herb roasted potatoes], 2 [Granny smith apples, smoked gouda & roasted walnuts ], 6 [Baked spicy tofu, roasted garlic & black olives ] & 7 [Asparagus, minced garlic & fresh tomatoes].
We gawked at other people that ordered the "Chef's Choice", which is "12-14 toppings arranged in a mandala pattern. " Totally saw corn on the cob on there! When our pizza arrived, we doused them with the housemade hot sauces (there was a bar full of hot sauce!). My favorite was #6, the spicy tofu was rich and flavorful. We got back to Sam Bond's and offered our leftovers to Rosewood Thieves and The Dead Trees, the other bands who were playing.
I sat at the merch table, enjoying the music and drinking microbrewed red ale from a mason jar. It was nice to see some familiar faces coming out to see Capybara again, wish we didn't have to play so early! Definitely high-fived the sound man, he made it spectacular. In the morning, when we packed up for our long drive to California, we stopped at the locally renowned Off the Waffle. Mmm, stuffed sweet waffles. According to their website, Liege waffles "are made from a yeast-based dough containing imported Belgian pearled sugar, which caramelizes throughout the waffle due to its high melting point." Mine had goat cheese and bananas. Prepare for a wait, they take a while if you are in a big group! I admired the art on the walls in the meantime.

Oh look, the tour van and trailer are saying hello to my waffle:

Next stop, my alma mater -- KDVS and the University of California, Davis! Check out the rest of my photos on Facebook.

Catch up with Capybara!
Capybara in Portland // Capybara in Eugene (Day 1) // Capybara Inspired Banh Mi // Bands We Met on Tour

Event: 11/5 Mushpot DJ Night #8 with VDRK, Zambri, Max Justus & Natty

Showdown on the dance floor tomorrow, for real. Let's high five.

Jeff over at The Culture of Me sings the praises!

Instrumentals that screech and bleep and bop, Max Justus has always caught us in the best way possible, mashing together subtle emotion and an apparent tenderness with his array of laptop blips and upfront geekery. And this week he's finally in town to show off his, er, chops. Taking place at Sputnik in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the wonderful kids from Mushpot have put together a great night coming up on Thursday night, November 5. It marks the first concert and DJ night in Sputnik's basement with disco nouveau from VDRK (Famous Friends), the hot rhythms of sister-screamers Zambri, the (finally!) NY debut of Max Justus and chiptune from Natty (Noise Channel). It's guaranteed to be a fun night--we'll be there so there's that--and not one to be missed. Admission is $7 or $5 with RSVP. Justus plays Silent Barn and Niagara on November 6 and 9, respectively.

Queens Club - "Nightmarer" (Max Justus Remix)

Snack: Beer Shaped Cheddar

Oh, just a stopover in Milwaukee to pick up a beer shaped Cheddar. No big deal...

Facts N' Cheese Episode 9: Brillat Savarin

Welcome to Facts n' Cheese! It's like Mac n' Cheese, but not! Join me on my awkward trek through cheeses of the world. In each episode, I'm joined by a friend and I make them eat cheese while I spout out all I know about a particular curd conglomeration. Special thanks to Jeff Stockton for designing our logo as well as Ryan Darrenkamp, Lisa Uhlman and Vance Spicier for their beer, house, camera equipment and editing!

Facts N' Cheese Episode 9: Brillat Savarin from BLT / IDM on Vimeo.

Episode 9 features the very wonderfully creamy Brillat Savarin, my roommate Jen Marmor and the song "Demaris" by Greenleaf. I'm a total name-dropping jerk in this episode, mostly because I'm full of "juice." What? You can't censor that stuff from the internet. The kids will hear about it someday anyway. Also, if I could go back in time -- I'd use this Savarin quote instead: "A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye."

More facts about Brillat Savarin:

• Brillat Savarin is named after Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, the author of The Physiology of Taste.
• Brillat is a soft, white-crusted cow's milk cheese from Normandy. It looks like this.
  
• When it isn't aged (through affinage), Brillat resembles a really fancy cream cheese like Neufchatel.
• Avoid red wines because the tannins come out more if you drink it with this cheese; bubbly stuff reacts nicely with the paste.
  

To macerate sliced strawberries, toss them with the juice of 1 orange, a tablespoon of sugar and a hand full of torn mint leaves. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and use them as a topping to waffles, french toast, pancakes or other baked delights. Eat 'em quick before they get soggy.

Catch up!
Facts N' Cheese Episode 1
Facts N' Cheese Episode 2
Facts N' Cheese Episode 3
Facts N' Cheese Episode 4
Facts N' Cheese Episode 5
Facts N' Cheese Episode 6
Facts N' Cheese Episode 7
Facts N' Cheese Episode 8

Restaurants: Brunch at Sulimay's in Philly

I went to Philadelphia for Halloween and had brunch at Sulimay's with my try-anything-on-the-menu cohort, Tommy. We were so inspired by the diner music reviews we saw on Youtube created by Woodshop Films.



We didn't see our favorite diner celebrities, but we did snarf down like champs. We totally high fived afterwards (no lie). We got a plate of roasted potatoes, scrambled eggs and scrapple. The scrapple was outstanding! With a little syrup, it was delightfully salty and crispy on the edges--a not-to-miss dish if you're ever in Philly.
We also ordered the special pumpkin pancakes with a side of pork roll. The pancakes were so fluffy and spongy that they didn't need any syrup (just..only...3 packets of butter...I know, we're gross). I didn't know what pork roll was, so we had to get it. Our server described it as similar to Spam. I guess it looked like it, tasted more like regular sliced ham to me.
Another interesting find was the hot sauce! It was marked as Sriracha, but it wasn't the same kind that I've seen. It didn't have a rooster on it and it was thin and vinegar based:
All in all, Sulimay's hit the spot. In fact, I didn't really need to eat the rest of the day. That's how stuffed I was, dude.

More stuff involving ghosts
Jukebox at Union Square //Jukebox at the Bell House

Music Muster: Max Justus NY Storm Front Provides "No Mercy" + Chip shows

Where she hops, now you know.

• 11/1 - railcars at Monkeytown
• 11/4 -Minusbaby, Nullsleep, Starscream, Neil Voss, NoTendo, sylcmyk and Outpt at Webster Hall Studio
• 11/5 - VDRK, Zambri, Max Justus & Natty at Sputnik
• 11/6 - Max Justus, Oxygenstar, Rhinostrich and ctor at Silent Barn
• 11/7 - XYZ Affair at Brooklyn Bowl
• 11/9 - Max Justus, DaPantz and Facundo at Niagra Bar

Max Justus - "Sweat"

Capybara Tour: Eugene, OR - Day 1

We had two shows booked in Eugene, Oregon! It's about 1.5 hours outside of Portland. I didn't really get to explore this town as much either, but I did like the house that we stayed in! From what I could gather, the residents were bike-loving college students! This was the only time that I slept on the floor during tour (save for the sprinkler incident, but I'll get to that later). Trufflehunter opened the show at the Oak Street Speakeasy. I hadn't seen Capybara yet and I didn't know what to expect.
I was blown away! I threw away any biases I got from the album, it's completely different--in the best way possible. I can't wait until the videos are edited ! Paper Brain closed out the night and can I just say Jeni's voice reminds me of Finishing School and Petracovich. I was a huge fan of the piano pop songs.

We ended the night with Oak Street pepperoni pizza and tomato soup. The soup was really really good, probably because it had been simmering all night and got that nice roasted tomato taste. As we were loading out, we played jump away and played the demo song on the Casio. A cop rolled up and told us not to play in the middle of the (empty) street. In the morning, I made "tour salad" from this big bag of vegetables that I brought with me from New York. Yeah, I know that's crazy but I knew I wasn't going to get that many veggies on tour. It's chopped up radishes, broccoli, pepper, carrots, shredded cabbage, crappy airport ranch dressing and...pretzels.
Stay tuned for day 2 in Eugene ! Check out the rest of my mobile photos on Facebook!

Catch up!
Capybara in Portland // Capybara Inspired Banh Mi // Bands We Met on Tour

Snack: White Bean and Chinese Sausage

I've been making a lot of dips. I'm putting anything on crackers these days. Sprinkled some scallions and slapped a slice of sauteed Chinese sausage on my homemade white bean dip. Yes, a saltine. Don't hate.

White Bean Dip
1 can of White Beans, rinsed and drained
1 clove of Garlic
1/4 cup of Olive oil
1/2 tsp of Sage
1/2 tsp of Thyme
1/2 tsp of Dill
1/2 tsp of Lemon Juice
Salt to taste

Pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth ! Good for veggies, crackers or as a sandwich spread. If you're using fresh herbs, double the amount.

Bands: railcars with Surf City and Heavy Winged at Market Hotel + Late Night Pig Feast

Last night, railcars and I went to the Bushwick Country Club before their show and it was happy hour. You get little toy animals to redeem your second drink during their 2 for 1 happy hour (until 8pm!). We walked down to their tour van Honda Accord to load stuff into Market Hotel. I was delighted to find a friend working the door. Heavy Winged was up first and then New Zealand's Surf City took the stage. After kicking up Halloween color balloons, railcars set up their electronic box of magic and guitar with pedalboard.
FMLY friends and I shook tambourines and jingle bells through the entire set. It was loud. It was all over the place. And it was fun. I can't tell you how much I love railcars. After the show, we ventured to La Isla Cuchifritos with Market Hotel homies.
Someone said "pig ear" and I was immediately intrigued. For less than $20, 6 of us feasted on rice, beans, pig ear, pig belly, blood sausage, rellena de amarilla (pastry with potato and meat) and lengua (my favorite)! A la carte items were only $1 and at 1am, that is the most amazing thing in the world!Catch railcars at Brooklyn's Monkeytown on November 1st, I'll sure as hell be there. Prepare to be eaten alive by fuzz.