spiral cut hot dog

i saw a video, specifically this video from chow.com, the other day on the internet about spiral cutting a hot dog before cooking it.



i thought i would have to try that technique the next time i cooked up dogs.  for anyone that knows me, i love hot dogs.  i realize that they aren't the pinnacle of culinary creation.  but, they are handy, and offer a lot of variety in preparation technique and condiments afterward.  i like to try different combos to really make hot dogs interesting.

this spiral cut technique works well.  i didn't use a skewer so the cuts weren't as deep as in the video, but it still worked.  and, like they mention in the video it does allow for more crispy deliciousness.  i'm sold, i think this may be the way for me in the future.

this also made me miss tower dogs and their options on dogs.

finally, i recommend checking out chew's youtube channel. lots of good ideas there.

UPDATE: i didn't realize heather mclane of the beehive blogged this yesterday.  granted, we wrote different stuff, but just wanted to point it out in case people were thinking i was biting another local site w/o credit.

fierce creatures changing

if you're on the fresno internets, or have seen indie rock in fresno over the past few years you have to have heard of the band fierce creatures. in fact, we had a few members of the band on looksgoodfresno.com. currently, they are gearing up to release a new album, and put out a video for the first song off the record.
 

but here's where it gets interesting. rumors are circulating that the band is breaking up. well, maybe breaking up is the wrong word. several members are leaving, three from what i heard. some will stay with the band through the release and some upcoming shows, but then are out. while i don't want to name my source, it is veeeerrrrrrrry reliable. things could change, and it's possible the leaving members don't, but it didn't sound like that would be the case. so what does that mean for fresno's up and coming musical darlings? i don't know. i hope they're able to fill in the holes with good replacements. they're a band with a lot of potential. speaking of rumors, enjoy this:

master of doin' it

what is this, a blog that just post videos? shhhh, i know, i know. but i loves to share that vids that i enjoy. so today, here's my latest find & share:

i grew up loving a variety of music, and was blessed with an older brother with good taste in music. i got to experience in brit music, college rock, and rap all before a lot of my peers. but metal, that was all my own. and i loved metallica. had the shirts, the music, everything i could get my hands on. for a class project we had to write a letter to someone famous, i chose them. i actually got a signed photo in return, which was awesome to junior high me. as an adult, i'm not as much into metal, but throw on an old metallica album and i'm there. i've also grown in my appreciation of music, especially funk, from the 70's. seriously, i think stevie wonder's songs in the key of life may be one of the best albums ever made. while i can't say i've listened to a lot of herbie hancock beyond rockit (that video scared the shit out of me as a kid), i enjoy this mashup and what he lays down on it. i think i may need to dig into his catalog a bit.

news reporter prank

pranks for all! so, what this really reminds me of is beauty pageant contestant answers. people put on the spot will try to answer about anything. and if they really don't know, they'll adlib. some of these adlibs are kinda funny and true, but others just, well, dumb.

shake weight prank

i don't mind pranks, especially when they're not making someone else look bad, or really at their expense. so, this shake weight prank works well for me. i mean, it's obvious what everyone is thinking, and their reactions are pretty normal. 'what is this guy doing on the street?' and then to see their reactions, and frequent laughter when they see the gag, i can appreciate it.

prometheus plot holes

and now for prometheus spoilers and plot holes, provided by red letter media i still enjoyed the movie, and wouldn't mind seeing it again, but some of the holes they point out are quite interesting.

prometheus review

this is just a brief review, mainly because i don't want to spoil the movie for anyone. so,we want to see prometheus today. i'm probably blogging about it too soon, because i'm still digesting the film. what i will say is that i liked the film. i'm not sure why people think it's going to be scary, because i didn't find that to be the case at all. really, i didn't even think that it was all that suspenseful either. it's an interesting story, to me, and i like how it was told. but what's got me wondering is why david does many of his actions. his actions seem malicious at times, and this doesn't make sense to me.

nba conference championships

so, i like basketball.  i mean, i like it enough to watch it occasionally.  there are teams i follow, and i would actually say i've been a bulls fan most of my life. (yes, i started like basketball and the bulls after they got jordan, but what kid my age didn't? so shut up.)  anyway, i haven't watched much basketball this post season, especially after derrick rose went down at the beginning of the playoffs due to injury. i was glad the bulls played scrappy and hung around in their series even though i figured they couldn't win without rose (& later noah).

but this week, as the nba moved into the conference championships, and it finally got interesting. the spurs went up 2-0 only to have the thunder figure them out.  the celtics looked verrrrrrrrrry tired and went down 0-2 to the heat, and have since stormed back.  i've actually watched the fourth quarters of each game five because the games were actually interesting, close, and mattered.

so, last night i was watching the celtics put it on the heat in quarter 4, and as they finished the game i was treated to this awesomeness:



"good job! good effort!"

how awesome is that kid yelling! it cracked me up last night, and it was no surprise to me that today it had taken off as an internet meme.  it's on the sports radio (i've heard it about a dozen times on this morning's jim rome), i'm sure espn is talking about it, and sports websites are running with it.  in these internet days, who knows how long "good job! good effort!" will last, but i love it.

btw, i continue to say kudos to the nba.  unlike most leagues, they love it for you to upload clips to youtube.  most sports leagues quickly take down clips you put up and claim the content.  that stops the spread of the product. stupid. the nba realizes that people putting it out there is good, it's free advert for them, and the product grows.

grilled chz - dinner review

went last night to check out this restaurant. i really enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches at home, and thought it would be nice to see the concoctions that there were making at this spot.

my wife ordered the double cream brie sandwich that came with turkey in it.  she enjoyed the sandwich and saved half for later.  (she may have made the mistake of leaving it in the frig, in which case it'll be my lunch!)  along with that, she had the tomato bisque, which was sorta weak. i mean, we both tasted it, and i didn't taste any difference from your average tomato soup (which they also have on the menu).

i had the borderbob, which is pepperjack with chili in it on a spicy potato bread.  very good tasting, nice spice to the sandwich.  i was actually a bit taken back because i often read descriptions and they claim to be spicy and this one actually was.  along with my combo i had the mac n cheese.  it was sorta bland.

i saw fries coming out on other orders & thought i'd add on a side of fries just to try them out as well.  they were darn good.  the size of an individual fry is close to steak fries, and they were well prepared - hot & cooked to the right firmness, which is somewhere between hard & mush - they hit it right.  very little salt on them, so if you want them salty you can control that, which is nice.

overall, we liked the sandwiches and fries.  the other sides we had were lackluster.  i'd go back again. for some, it may be a bit pricey but i didn't feel it was unreasonable.

the wire: the musical!

funny or die did something to help celebrate the 10 year anniversary of one of the best shows ever, the wire.  they made a musical parody trailer

The Wire: The Musical with Michael Kenneth Williams from Michael Kenneth Williams     

i love that they got a lot of the original cast to show up in play parts.  of course, nothing would be possible without omar (michael kenneth williams aka bkbmg) starring in it.  this doesn't surprise me as he is a trained dancer & choreographer, but it's fun to see his talents showcased.

and yes, snoop's part is ridiculous, strange, but i like it.  i wonder how her legal issues are going?

since it's the 10 year anniversary of the wire, other things have been happening on the web around the show.  many of the actors are on twitter, and so they've been tweeting about the show. (i personally follow omar, bunk, bubbles. i've seen twitter for slim charles & a few others.)  there is also a massive project starting.  Peter Honig is doing a breakdown of the show, writing multiple in depth posts on each episode.  Great idea, although it seems way more to keep up with than i'm willing.

me, i've just been watching the show via hbogo while i hit the elliptical.  nothing says gritty baltimore drug deals more than me working out.  i started there, but have also been watching episodes at home. it's hard to not just burn through episode after episode like some sort of burner bought from bubble's shopping cart.

UPDATE: david simon, creator of the wire, has seen it and loves it.