Sit. Stay. Good blog.

In case you’re wondering why I haven’t posted any recipe posts lately, it’s because I’ve started another site dedicated to healthy cooking, eating and living. I decided to split things up a bit because that stuff is appealing to a wider audience that might not be interested in more mundane details about my life in Kansas City.

I’d love for you to visit and take a look: Sit. Stay. Cook.

If you have any healthy-type topics you think I should cover, I welcome the comments and feedback.

Thanks – I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

After almost three months with my iPad, it’s safe to say that I love it. Long before they were even announced, I told Mr. Awesome that I loved my iPhone, but that a tablet-sized version would be killer. No, I didn’t want to hold the giant version to my head like some sort of douchebag – I barely use the thing for phone calls at all – but the screen on the iPhone was perfect, the responsiveness so right there, that imaginings of a bigger version were really just too cool to be true.

And then Apple went and done it. They gone and did it. They made my dream come true.

I realize at this point I sound like an Apple fanboy to the n^th degree. I’m cool with that. Why? Because Apple really has created a new tool for connecting to the hive mind that is the internet. The iPad literally puts the Web in your hand… it all feels very Tom Cruise in Minority Report, without the Pre-Cog business or necessity to wear tight-fitting black clothing while using the device (that would be cool, though – I may have to try that).

Anyway, the purpose of this post isn’t just to rave about the genius that is iPad. I want to talk about Apps for a moment. An iPad is only as useful (or entertaining) as the Apps installed on it, and with a virtual universe of Apps to choose from, it can be very daunting to find the ones that are a.) legitimately excellent and b.) worth the money. That’s the kicker, folks – most of the really good Apps cost money. Sure, you can have a great experience with the free Apps, but if you want to kick it into high gear and fall madly, deeply in love with your iPad, you are going to have to do what any good suitor does and fork over some cash.

Based on my experiences thus far, here are some of my absolute favorite, must-have Apps of the moment, in no particular order:

NetNewsWire – Google Reader never felt so good.

Plants vs. Zombies – Loved the PC version, drool over the iPad one.

Twitterific – The instant accessibility of the iPad pairs beautifully with the fast-food feel of Twitter.

Pages – Word processor. You don’t think you need this, but you do.

Scrabble – I’m a Scrabble junkie, and Scrabble + iPad = Scrabble heroin.

Todo – Sync tasks between Outlook, iPad and iPhone. Keep organized, people.

GoodReader – Nice PDF reader.

iBooks – The Kindle killer is really all that.

What do you think of the iPad? What are your favorite Apps? What do I need to download?

It’s catch-up time, and that usually means a bulleted list. It means a bulleted list this time, too.

• We’ve been sticking pretty heavily to our “what’s next” philosophy. Why, just yesterday evening we replaced a couple of switchplates in a redecorated bathroom, re-hung a ceiling light, replaced our doorbell (it had been broken for years), assembled a new floor lamp, and Mr. Awesome mowed the yard and bathed the dog before I got home from work. We’re sleeping really well at night
• Since cancelling cable television service about a month ago, we have not suffered from a loss of anything to watch, especially since we signed up with Netflix again, primarily for their Instant Play feature. After breezing through The IT Crowd series for the second time (what a fantastic show), we are currently absorbed by the Up Series from the BBC. This series follows a group of children every 7 years, starting in 1964 when they were 7 with 7 Up. The series is currently on the 49-Up installment, and we’re up to 42-Up, which I’m anxious to watch tonight.
• A couple of weeks ago, we went to St. Louis to see the always delightful Kate Miller-Heidke perform at The Old Rock House. The show was great, and the venue was great, too. The trip also gave us an opportunity to visit the Arch and Citygarden and take pictures like this one:
• A rainy day last weekend afforded us the opportunity to make a visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The museum is free, so really, if you haven’t been in a while you have no more excuses. Go there and enjoy stuff like this (we took our fisheye lens because everything is more interesting in fisheye):
  

  Little smurfy slaves for the afterlife.

  
  

  Woah. My digits are so cool.

  

  It's Dudley Moore!

  There are so many great pieces at the gallery. I want to post more, but I won’t inundate you. Maybe later. In the mean time, get thee to the museum!

• I recently discovered a culinary treat that is as easy as it is delicious. Are you ready for this? Take two or three frozen bananas and toss them in a food processor with a couple big tablespoons of reduced-fat peanut butter and a splash of soy milk. Puree until smooth, then freeze a bit more until it reaches the consistency of… BANANA SOFT-SERVE ICE CREAM! Yes, you can make something that tastes remarkably like real ice cream without any cream or ice or an ice cream maker or anything usually associated with the creation of ice cream. Except for a freezer, of course. Serve with a drizzle of (sugar-free for me) chocolate syrup and a little bit of crushed graham cracker crumbs and holy shitballs is that good. It’s so good I broke out the cussing.
• One day until Lilith Fair, and we’re still trying to decide if Metric is worth the price of admission and the oppressive heat. A couple more listens to Fantasies might make up our mind… it’s a terrific album and I highly recommend it.
• I finally beat the computer at Scrabble on my iPhone. On Hard. Thanks, 104-point word, ICEBREAKER.

I’m making some design changes around here. I think it’s time. I liked the old look, but it’s time for something brighter, bolder – more colorful and fun. For those of you viewing this post in a reader, you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about. That’s okay – I view most stuff in my reader, too. But click on the post title and take a look at the site and let me know what you think.

Is it too much?

Do you love it?

Do you hate it?

I’m still adjusting and tweaking, so it’s bound to change again in some way soon. For now, though, this change is good.

This is Coco. He’s a happy, if a tad aggressive, resident of our fish tank.

Coco has big plans for the weekend…

If things go as expected…

He’ll be showing you his O Face.

Inspired by a post over at reddit.com, we took advantage of an abundance of empty computer boxes from work and made Grizz his own Tower of Power!

We’ll be expanding it outwards and upwards in the coming days, but for now he seems pretty content with the current results.

In other news, I roasted my first chicken the other night and, despite my noobish self roasting it upside down, it was delicious. Cook and learn, right?

We’ve been keeping up with the cooking of new stuff lately, and in that spirit, I will share with you one of the hits. Luckily, there have been very few misses. Aside from being tasty, this dish has the distinction of having one of the funniest names around.

Singapore Chow Mai Fun

Just like in a Chinese restaurant, only no fortune cookie.

Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 5 per serving

5 ounces mai fun (rice sticks or rice noodles)
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
3/4 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
1 tsp. sugar
6 ounces lean ground pork
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat; add the mai fun and soak until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, chili-garlic sauce and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Spray a wok with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the pork and stir-fry until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and curry powder. Stir-fry until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the noodles and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

NOTES: This dish tasted just like something you’d get from a good Chinese Restaurant. The ground pork is so juicy and different from the normal protein we usually use. The noodles are so good in this, too – a nice change from rice. Be careful not to add too much heat or it will become overwhelming. Trust me on this.

Shooting off some bullets:

• I’ve got some really great embroidery ideas lately. Once I actually make them happen, I’ll post pictures.
• Grizz has been helping me sew. He’s sew helpful (ha!):

  

• Valentine’s Day was nice and low-key. We got each other a new flat-top range.
• I’ve recently discovered the awesomeness that are VitaTops. I don’t know how they make something taste so good and yet still be so healthy. If you’ve got a weakness for chocolate-cakey things, you have to try the Deep Chocolate VitaTops. I found them at the Sun Fresh in Westport in the freezer section.
• It’s time for me to invest in an oven-safe, nonstick skillet. Any suggestions?
• If you like oil-packed sundried tomatoes, Sams Club has huge jars for less than $5. I’m only telling you this because I already bought 6 of them.
• We’ve seen some decent movies lately, and some not-so-great ones, too.

  A few good ones are:
  Sunshine Cleaning
  12 Angry Men (1957)
  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
  Orphan

  Skip over:
  Couples Retreat

• After reading that Roger Bart is in the production of Young Frankenstein at the Music Hall, I had to get tickets for next Sunday’s matinee. I’m very excited!

Mr. Awesome has been experimenting with macro photography lately:

Ooh!

Ahh!

Woah.

That’s one big eye.

While he’s focused on photography (HA! See what I did there?), I’m still cooking and have picked up the sewing basket again. That means more terrific food and embroidery photos will be here in the future.

Stay tuned.

Terrible Yellow Eyes is a visual love letter to the great work that is Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. Soon to be released as a movie, the original book inspires fear, courage, curiosity and most of all imagination in all who read it. The art works displayed on Terrible Yellow Eyes range from the whimsical to fear-inducing, but so do the emotional reactions to the story.

Each image is viewable in a large, high-resolution version so you can see all the lucious details. Here are a smattering of favorites, but everything on the site is worth a look:

“The point is, [Sendak's] children do survive. They always survive. They look horror in the face and walk by with a sniff.” - Jonathon Jones (The Guardian)

Today I share with you one of the best music videos I’ve ever seen. The song is okay, but the video is just stunning and clever and incredible. If you can’t see the embedded video, click here to view.

The video is directed by a group who call themselves Shynola. According to Wikipedia, Shynola is also responsible for the title sequences of the brilliant British comedy, The IT Crowd. If you haven’t seen The IT Crowd, and have ever used a computer, you should check it out. It’s available online all over the place, if you look hard enough.

Once you’ve finished with The IT Crowd, check out my new British love of a show, featuring some of the same players as those in The IT Crowd – The Mighty Boosh.

The show’s three seasons were just released on DVD, and you can catch single episodes on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim on Sunday nights.

As for why I’m at work on a Saturday… it’s the start of a new semester and thankfully, many of the youth of America still don’t know how to use thier computers. Bless ‘em for keeping me employed.