Christopher’s Internet Affliction

Hi everyone!

So I’ve been playing with spices and sprucing things up a little, as I’ve never much been into heavy spices in recipes, and I think that this recipe works out nicely- Not blazing and indiscriminately hot, but rather a subtler, more flavorful spice, with a little heat for fun. I emulated Middle Eastern and Caribbean cooking, picking a little from Jamacian jerk recipes, while adding what seems like good things to it. I’m sure there’s some other great things that can be thrown into this one, a little saffron powder, smoked salt, things like that. This is a really great recipe to play with and just have fun!

I named this recipe for fun for one of my favorite actors, John Barrowman. He’s a super talented British actor, but spent his formative years and was raised right close to me in Joliet, Illinois. He still visits sometimes, and I hope to bump into him on the street, or see a live performance here in Chicago! Wouldn’t that be so exciting?! Anyhow, this recipe is spicy and beeeefy (if you wish) like Mr. Barrowman. (heheh!) He also has a new CD of showtune covers coming out in just a few days, on March 1, 2010. He’s also playing a guest role in the last six episodes of this season’s Desperate Housewives on this side of the ocean, too! I also have to gush over the cufflinks made by Ian Flaherty that he’s chosen for his site- They’re all so wonderful!

Anyhow! After the jump, Onwards with the recipe!

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nom nom nom!

Hello!! I found a great recipe and gave it a go today.

Like most other people, I love Hummus, I can eat it up by the bucket, but sadly, to get the really good kinds, you really have to pay for it. Eight ounces can get up to five or so dollars, and hey! I can eat that in one sitting! So. the Great Unemployed Cook sets out again, in order to see what he can do about this. I started off with a few criteria before I found a recipe to try. I wanted everything as fresh as possible, of course, along with proper spices. I also wanted to use dried chickpeas (that’s Garbanzo beans, as well) over canned, for the sole reason that dried beans retain twice as much of their nutritional value over canned. Also, dried is cheaper! Sounds like two great wins to me. Certainly, you have to wait a bit longer for dried beans, but I think it’s worth it, on those two facts alone- and I suspect, that they probably taste better, too! Just something about something being preserved in a wet metal can with heat in god-knows-what just doesn’t sound optimal.. so, given the choice!

Anyhow, I’m going to go ahead and mention it: Get creative and add what you like to your hummus! Red peppers are easy to roast over a gas range, olives, garlic.. make yourself happy. You’re making something wonderful for your body, tasty, and just good all around. Also, if you have a lot of infused olive oil around.. hmm! Anyhow, after the jump, here’s the recipe I used with great success today, with my own notes thrown in.

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I like hot sauce. I like it a lot! But, sadly, I’ve been given a nervous stomach, so, I must be careful with the goods. And I don’t like it too hot, either, I like it with flavor! But, given as hot sauce and so much extra heat sells a lot better than the foodie-grade stuff, (I blame football and frat boys) I, once again, decided to make my own. This is one of my oldest projects, having been refined over the years, and some still sing the praises of my ‘green sauce’, which I made up in 2001. It’s something I’ve gotten to be very creative with, and that’s what I hope to inspire with this writing.

More after the jump..

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Howdy!

Of course, if you’ve been reading for any length of time, or know me personally, You already know I’m all about the do it yourself ethic, and especially with food- I really enjoy making everything from scratch. I think my one big “pass!” is with pie crusts- and I think anyone who’s tried to make one from scratch agrees. I’ll gladly fork over two dollars to the man for the convenience of not having to make the things myself! Anyhow, Here’s the buttercream frosting recipe from Magnolia Bakery in NYC- easily the simplest, and best, icing recipe I’ve found. As always, my usual caveat- use poor quality ingredients, get poor quality food. Also, keep in mind that you can easily make this recipe with all hand utensils, I don’t own a blender! And with cupcakes, have even MORE fun with them! That big honkin’ photo to the right is a batch I made- The raspberries, blueberries, and shaved dark chocolate (Freeze the bar, shave with veggie peeler) added a nice touch of bitterness, which was lovely, with all the sugar involved. This is one of those things you can just hop right into and take anywhere you want! By the way, this is the stuff immortalized in the “Lazy Sunday” Saturday Night Live short skit.

Recipe after the jump!

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Okay! This is a little guide intended for those just getting started out in the weird, wild world of The Ultimate In Geek: Programming your own microcontrollers. After you outgrow your Arduino, and find out that it’s really too much for a lot of applications, programming your own AVR microcontrollers is the way to go. This is not intended to teach you how to do everything- There’s plenty of documentation on each part of the process out there. I merely intend to compile what has worked for me in one central place.

Tools and supplies, software and a lot of links, after the jump!

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Hi everyone!

I like good popcorn, just like everyone else! So, microwaved popcorn doesn’t really do it for me- butter makes it mushy, and it’s rather icky and expensive, too! Not to mention all of the unpronounceable chemicals that are in it. So, I kick it old school- I get the soup pot out, and make some really tasty, healthy popcorn for my snacking needs!

My favorite combo right now is using an infused olive oil (garlic!) and a nice blend from The Spice House, a local spice shop. I like their Lakeshore Drive Seasoning best, and their Old Taylor Street Cheese Sprinkle sits nicely, too, but I’d skip the infused oil on that.

Recipe and kettle corn after the jump!

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Okay! Here’s a quick one for you. This will take no time at all, and will nicely compliment your homemade wine vinegar collection. It’s really as easy as it gets- if you can’t handle this, then perhaps you ought consider hanging up your apron! Anyhow, you only need three items.

What you need:

1. Clear glass wine bottles, with cork.

2. Olive Oil. Wait for a sale, and buy in bulk! Get the best you can afford.

3. Herbs and spices! Fresh is nice, but dried will do. I suggest garlic, your green leafy herbs, and I also had good results with dried Italian seasoning. Just don’t add salts or anything powdery.

And there you go, really. Just add your herbs to the bottle after a good bruising, and label & cork. Set in your rack for at least six weeks, the longer being the better. You can stretch it out a bit by adding fresh olive oil after you’ve used a bit, but of course, the herbs only have enough oil to go so far. Also, adding the ‘born on’ date to your label is very helpful! These also look very nice, by they way- a wonderful ‘functional decoration’ for your counter, perhaps? In any case, use how you would any other olive oil, but I suggest saving it for when the taste of the olive oil will be appreciated. Bread, salads, just on pasta, and actually, popcorn! are my favorite applications for this stuff. Have fun!

Okay! So, I enjoy learning and practicing massage as a hobby. And being as that I like to make everything myself, I’ve also learned how to make my own moisturizing massage bars. It’s very simple!

What You’ll Need:

1. A nice essential oil, or Tiger Balm. This is up to you! Use what you like.

2. The following ingredients: Cocoa butter, Shea butter, and Beeswax. Get a little more cocoa butter.

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Hi there!

Okay, so it’s no big secret that I don’t drink alcohol. But, that doesn’t prevent me from serving wine at dinners, and using it in cooking. There’s something about dumping a bunch of Merlot into a beef stew that makes it just makes it good. But, I do get stuck with partial bottles of wine, and it’s also no secret that one of my pet peeves is wasting food. By the way, Tom, from NYC, taught me this one, along with a lot of other great cooking stuff.

So, what’s a guy to do? Make some wine vinegar! Ok, this is very very simple: Get one of those liquid dispensers with the tap at the bottom. Get a couple pints of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. You’ll have to order this online, likely. A bit of cheesecloth or an old but clean t-shirt to allow gases out, but keep the uglies out, too. Mix it all up, about 1 part vinegar to 2 parts wine. Let it sit undisurbed for a few weeks, give a taste, let it sit more, if needed. When you’re done, bottle it back up into a wine bottle, recork, and even bruise & infuse with some nice, fresh herbs. And then, marvel at the excellent quality, and the amount of cash you saved yourself. And for crying out loud, have some fun with it! try different things, herbs, whatever- this will work for champagne, too! I seriously have a dozen different bottles right now. Also, it makes an excellent small gift, when bottled in a fancy bottle with your own label.

PS: When you’re making the vinegar, a messy jelly thing may just appear on top. THIS IS GOOD. Don’t get all squirmy and come back to me all cranky because there’s a jellyfish in your wine. Just decant the wine vinegar, add more scrap wine. The goo is bacteria that’s making the process go.

Good day!

AVR Target Board

I recently outgrew my still-loved Arduino, and desired to learn how to use AVR Microcontrollers in their intended way. So, I started assembling tools and software. I built a AVR programmer from Limor’s USBtinyISP kit, and it was easily the best choice for me. Then, I installed a bit of software, but then the big problem arose: How to interface the unique microcontrollers to this specific programmer. I found very little direction on how to complete this simple task, and I hope to fill in the blanks for you. I am assuming you know how to solder, and have some basic electronics know-how, ’cause you are playing with microcontrollers..

Parts! You need a 2 row, 6 pin connector. (Mouser Part #M22-2580305), a suitable piece of plain old protoboard, some thin gauge wire, and a IC header to fit the microcontroller you wish to use. And for God’s sake, use a marker to indicate which way is up for your chip!

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