AN ONLINE JOURNAL_ by Clake and Klake FRIENDS: Aeryk and K, Berta, Bill, Bret and Claudia, Celeb Reporter, CleverDad, Cobalt Kitchen, Jeremiah, Jess, Joe, JKSquared, Karl, Kristine/Jay, Luke, Malt Madness, Mo' Complaints, Rachel, Surf Report, UFO Clearinghouse MORE: Randy the Cat , Links (del.icio.us), Clake's Recent Books (del.icio.us) Sunday, September 30, 2007 20 weeks posted by klake at 8:45 PM (0) comments Plake is 20 weeks old, which means his mom sat him down for a big old pile of pictures. If you would care to see the results check out clakeklake.shutterfly.com [MAIN PAGE] Friday, September 28, 2007 Songs of Innocence posted by clake at 7:49 AM (0) comments In this week's Randy the Cat comic, we join Nigel and Randy on another trip to the store that sells T-shirts. Speaking of T-shirts, here's a picture of little Plake sporting a Randy the Cat onesie. This is very likely the only RTC onesie in existance. [MAIN PAGE] Tuesday, September 25, 2007 Rookie Card posted by clake at 2:17 PM (3) comments [MAIN PAGE] Sunday, September 23, 2007 Oktoberfest in September posted by clake at 9:05 AM (0) comments Yesterday was the Iowa City Brew Fest, which Klake, Plake and I attended. Attendees are given a four-ounce tasting glass and tickets for free samples of beers from around the globe. Here are the results: Clake:
Klake:
Plake:
Plake was a very good boy throughout the event. He chilled out in his carrier, and made quite a few (slightly tipsy) friends. In case you are wondering, his drink came out of a bottle. Klake isn't into public displays of her boobs, unlike the 11-foot-tall Teutonic statue of a girl in a slutty version of traditional German dress who was wandering around the fest. Her butt peeked out from under the skirt. (Note to J.H. - Yes, this was awesome.) [MAIN PAGE] Saturday, September 22, 2007 Pine-Apple posted by clake at 8:09 AM (0) comments In this week's Randy the Cat comic, a party is almost ruined by the unexpected presence of a rectangle. Speaking of Platonic forms, I just recently watched the Doctor Who serial "Meglos", wherein a dodecahedron is stolen by a villain who is a cactus. The plot was a bit haywire, and seemed to have a far more elaborate back story than appeared on screen. It's possible the cactus was stealing back his own dodecahedron, O.J. Simpson style. [MAIN PAGE] Tuesday, September 18, 2007 A Drink with Jam and Bread posted by clake at 11:40 AM (0) comments I finally received a recent free shipping coupon from the English Tea Store (coupon code: Fall07, if you're interested), which means I'll be getting my grimy mits on some loose leaf Lapsang Souchong. My order includes:
And then, to get the order up to the $10 required for free shipping, I decided to experiment with a selection of various, British, flavored crisps:
On a (tangentially) related note, my son will likely start trying out some solid foods here and there in the near future. Sweet Chili Potato Crisps are not on the menu, but I'll let you know if he wants to write an online review of "bland rice cereal sort of mushed into a generous portion of human breast milk". Little Plake is growing so much. He gives real hugs now! [MAIN PAGE] Friday, September 14, 2007 Oocka-chacka-oocka-chacka posted by clake at 10:08 PM (0) comments Fair warning: this week's Randy the Cat obliquely implies the existence of butt sex. [MAIN PAGE] Museum Day posted by klake at 3:32 PM (0) comments Saturday, Sept. 29 has been declared museum day, and many museums are offering free admission to visitors who print out a ticket from the Smithsonian website. Check it out, it includes the Mississippi River Museum in DBQ! Museum Day [MAIN PAGE] Monday, September 10, 2007 Mit Pommes oder Brot??? posted by clake at 12:46 PM (0) comments I am currently eating peanut butter and jelly on this wonderful beer bread. This recipe is outstandingly easy to make, easy to customize, and can have the happy result of you eating a sandwich at work with subtle beer undertones. (Post headline makes reference to this comic strip.) [MAIN PAGE] Friday, September 07, 2007 Randy the Cat moves again posted by clake at 12:49 PM (0) comments Adorable hijinks and precocious swearing now on Blogspot Mayor linked to homoerotic juggling organization: "I didn't do anything!" Iowa, USA - Randy the Cat has packed up his belongings and moved to the coast -- the coast of Blogspotland, overlooking the Sea of Hilarious, that is! The long-beloved silly comic about a household pet who shits in a box, which has become as synonymous with America as stock car racing and the concept of a "petty God", has officially moved its internet presence to the fine weblog hosting services of Blogspot.com. Readers can now follow Randy's adventures at randythecat.blogspot.com, beginning with a new strip for Saturday, September 8, 2007 wherein a mouse tells a joke. The mouse is wearing a hat. [MAIN PAGE] Thursday, September 06, 2007 Snoopy posted by clake at 10:25 AM (0) comments Today's fun activity during downtime is reading old Peanuts comics from the 1960's. I'm struck by how expressive Snoopy is. I think seeing too many snoopy t-shirts in my lifetime temporarily blinded me to just how dynamic and interesting he can be. Watch his legs when he walks: it's a still image but it looks a bit like he's actually moving. [MAIN PAGE] Tuesday, September 04, 2007 Pan-Roasted Broccoli posted by clake at 12:19 PM (1) comments Last night for dinner I made this adaptation of a recipe seen on America's Test Kitchen (free registration required). Klake has never liked broccoli, but when we saw this being made she thought it looked delicious. I made certain substitutions to the original receipe - mainly due to not bothering to buy special ingredients I don't normally keep around the house. The secret to this dish's deliciousness comes from the star ingredient of most popular restaurants: fat! I'd seriously like to see how this dish compares with french fries. ----------------------- Pan-Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Browned Butter Serves 4 as a side dish For Broccoli 3 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon table salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 3/4 pounds broccoli , florets cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, stems trimmed, peeled, and cut on bias into 1/4-inch-thick slices about 1 1/2 inches long (about 5 cups florets and 3/4 cup stems) For Sauce 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 tablespoons minced red onion 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I would have loved to use 2 cloves fresh garlic, but had none on hand) 1/4 teaspoon table salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1. For Broccoli: Stir water, salt, and pepper together in small bowl until salt dissolves; set aside. In 12-inch nonstick skillet with tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add broccoli stems in even layer and cook, without stirring, until browned on bottoms, about 2 minutes. Add florets to skillet and toss to combine; cook, without stirring, until bottoms of florets just begin to brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. 2. Add water mixture and cover skillet; cook until broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until water has evaporated, broccoli stems are tender, and florets are tender-crisp, about 2 minutes more. Transfer broccoli to medium bowl and set aside. 3. For Sauce: Melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter is browned and releases nutty aroma, about 1 1/2 minutes. Off heat, add onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and thyme. Add broccoli to skillet, toss to coat with browned butter, and serve immediately. ----------------------- The main difference from our version is that on Test Kitchen they used shallots instead of onion. They also used fresh thyme and garlic. We served this with a nice, lean piece of breaded tilapia. On the show, they served it with Chicken Kiev, which is a chicken breast wrapped around a big hunk of butter. The only meal with more fat that I can imagine would have to include a steak cut from a butter-sculpture cow. [MAIN PAGE] [SITE FEED] ARCHIVES: April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 August 2009 March 2010 July 2010 August 2010 January 2011 September 2011 January 2012 February 2012 |