Buzz Kill's Buzzkill

Merry Christmas from Buzz Kill

2009-12-24T07:40:00.003-05:00

My Christmas CD Courtesy of K9. Isn't it a beauty?

My all time favorite Christmas Song (the video isn't much but the lyrics are all there).

Christmas with a great punk band - The Vandals, Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies

I love this guy - Mr Mojo's Christmas

Try to keep in mind that Christmas is about family, faith, magic and eggnog. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and keeps their priorities straight.

MUTE MONDAY - THE YEAR IN REVIEW (as Buzz saw it)

2009-12-20T15:10:00.027-05:00

Significant (as deemed by old Buzz Kill) Events and Deaths for 2009

Events (in order of occurrence - I think)

Deaths (in order of occurrence)

O Tannenbaum - Traditions at the Buzzkill

2009-12-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

Boxer apparently has a fascination with all things Christmas and specifically - the Christmas tree. So I have taken some shots around Stately Buzzkill Manor of our Christmas decor and which Boxer is welcome to "steal" for her own ammusement. And it moved me to write about some family traditions and why we do what we do.

The Wreath

Here is the wreath for the front door. The Mrs and the pudge made it. She bought one of those wire rings and used scrap branches from the Christmas tree and some holly branches that the pudge and I cut in the woods behind the house. There are a lot of Holly trees (with berries) back there but no fir trees - all broad leaf trees. They made a 2nd, smaller wreath for the mirror in the hallway.

Years ago, my brothers and I had a tradition where we would go into a tract of woods we knew (we use to deer hunt there) a couple of weeks before Christmas and cut greens to make wreaths. It was actually started by our father and we stopped for a while after he passed away. Once my brothers and I had families and homes of our own, we started the tradition again and would go to the woods and cut pine, spruce, holly and laurel and make a bunch a wreaths for our houses. And our mother's house too. The last few times we went we started taking our boys with us. We stopped the tradition about 6 years ago when the woods were developed. The Mrs decided she wanted to start our own tradition with the boys this year - hence the door wreath. We'll see how long this lasts.

The Christmas Tree

Another tradition is getting the Christmas tree. Through most of my childhood, we had an artificial tree that sat in a revolving stand that played electronic Christmas music. Because of this plasticy Christmas, when I set out on my own with my 1st house, I vowed to have a real, cut tree - which I have done every year for the last 25 years.

A friend of mine use to sell them on a vacant lot every year and I would purchase from him. They weren't very good trees but he was a friend. When he stopped selling them, I found a small tree farm (through another friend) that we would take the boys to and cut our own tree. This was a very small farm that you wouldn't know was there if you didn't know it was there. It sits on the side of a pretty good hill and one of our best memories was the time we went after a good snow storm. The boys were able to sled on the hill (with sleds the farmer provided) and we have a great picture of the 2 of them on the sled (Christmas 2002). After a few years, the pickings at the farm got slimmer and the 1 hour ride just didn't seem worth it any more.

At this point the boy was in Little League and their big fund raising event for the year was selling Christmas trees. So we volunteered to help unload the trucks, set up the fencing and tree sands, and sell the trees for several years. As a result we bought our trees there too. The trees were fresh cut from a farm in upstate Pennsylvania, so we knew they were fresh. One time the tractor trailer with the trees got there and was covered with snow. I can't tell you how much snow I had down my back by the time we were done unloading. And the trees were always really nice. As volunteers we could pick through the hundreds of trees (usually 400 - 500) and get really nice trees. The prices were very reasonable and I would even get my mom's tree there too.

Now because it's for Little League, the boys would help sell the trees with their fathers and people would generally tip the boys. So my boy has been selling trees for the Little League (up until this year) for the tip money. He's 16 and hasn't played in the league for 4 years, but they appreciate the help.

So this year we didn't volunteer but we still went there to get our tree. And this is probably one of the nicest trees we've ever had. The boy strung the lights with his girl friend and the Mrs and the pudge put up the ornaments. The best description I can give for the theme of the tree is - eclectic mess. It's just all sorts of different ornaments that weve collected over the decades.

I set up most of the Christmas Village. The village was another tradition started when the Mrs and I were first married in that I would buy the Mrs a new piece every year. I had to stop when the shear volume started getting out of control. The boys like to set up the figurines around the village.

Here are some dark shots that came out so-so.

So that's Christmas decorating at the Buzzkill for 2009. We'll see what traditions we have next year. I hope everyone has a nice holiday.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They're green when summer days are bright;
They're green when winter snow is white.
O, Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!

By the way, we don't actually sing this song around the Christmas tree - ever.

MUTE MONDAY - MuSTARd

2009-12-13T15:00:00.018-05:00

Culinary Throwdown Challenge - SALT

2009-12-09T08:00:00.010-05:00

This month's Throwdown Challenge is being sponsored by La Diva Cucina and the theme is SALT. Moi over at Bite the Apple has graciously volunteered (again) to do the judging. Even if you don't enter or visit all of the entries, her final judgement is a great read.

For this throwdown I thought I would brine my Thanksgiving Turkey. Then I thought that brining a turkey is only one step in the whole turkey cooking process and really doesn't showcase salt. And the fact that I got sick and didn't do the turkey (the Mrs did) pretty much nixed that whole idea. But I still liked the brining idea. So what to do.

Flash back about 2 months ago for background as to how I arrived at my entry. The pudge and I love pickles. The boy not so much and Kosher Dills are the best. We eat them on hamburgers or just as a side when we have something on the barbecue. The Mrs, on the other hand, hates pickles and knows nothing about them. So when we ran out and pickles ended up on the shopping list, she bought some kind of bread and butter pickle. The pudge and I weren't too crazy about them but we have a full jar to work through.

Present day. I got the idea to make my own pickles being that the Mrs doesn't let me food shop much because I "buy too much junk food". For her information, pie is not junk food - but I digress. Anyway, I found a recipe for Ukrainian Dill and Garlic Pickles over at Allrecipe.com.

I went to Produce Junction but they didn't have pickling cucumbers. They did however, have Chinese Cucumbers that looked good to me. I only bought 2 pounds because I didn't want to make too many in case it didn't turn out.

Here are all of the ingredients, I omitted the red chile pepper because the pudge doesn't like spicy.

This is an easy recipe and the toughest part was cleaning all of the garlic.

I got out the old mason jars and decide to do 2 cans and one extra for the refrigerator. The recipe calls for 4 to 10 days of brining before they're ready.

If nothing else, they look good. I really like the green and white (garlic).

I did them the morning of the 5th of December. So by the 9th of December they should be good to try. I opened the refrigerator jar and the brine smells great. Smells like Kosher dills to me.

Update: The pudge and I tried a pickle with dinner Monday night (December 7th) and they were great. The intensity of the pickle flavor is almost there. They taste almost as good as the pickles you get from a Jewish Deli. A couple of more days and they'll be there. I'm curious as to how the canned pickles will be a couple of months from now. I'm also curious to see how they'll taste with pickling cucumbers instead of the Chinese Cucumbers. And I may try slicing the cucumbers so that more will fit in the jar.

This is a keeper. The pudge and I won't have to rely on the Mrs' pickle judgement (or lack there of) anymore.

MUTE MONDAY - (Reverse) PSYCHOLOGY

2009-12-06T15:00:00.015-05:00

MUTE MONDAY - (Time) TRAVEL

2009-11-28T15:00:00.000-05:00

MUTE MONDAY - LOCAL

2009-11-22T15:00:00.001-05:00

Throwdown - Fire

2009-11-18T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Troll is having another Culinary Throwdown Challenge this week and the theme is Smoke and Fire. Some (the Mrs. in particular) may say that's the way I always cook. Hmmmm

Well, I knew what I was going to do for this throwdown last week but, as usual, I'm down to the last minute. The Mrs. is on travel this week, so it's just me, the boy and the pudge. I was going to do both smoke and fire, the smoke being grilled smoked potatoes. That never materialized. The Fire, however, I got done.

I decided to do a Bourbon Chicken which gets flambeed for the fire aspect. This is a recipe I've made before, formulated from several other recipes and mishaps so I don't have a formally written recipe and it changes every time.

For this version, I have boneless chicken breasts that I salt and peppered and seared in butter, oil and garlic. I added onion, rosemary and thyme. Then I doused the whole mess with Jim Beam and set her ablaze.

MOMMY!

After the firemen left, I covered the pan and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. I removed the chicken and added a cup of cream. I let it reduce and thicken for about 5 minutes.

For sides I have rice and green beans with orange rind.

This came out good. The kids really liked it and went back for 2nds (mostly because the Mrs. wasn't here to say no). The boy thought it needed cheese - so I promptly smacked him in the back of the head.

And there you have another Mid-Week Madness Dinner that took about 45 minutes from in-the-door to the table.

I don't know why the last 2 pics are sideways because they look OK in the viewer. Turn your heads.

MUTE MONDAY - FAVORITES

2009-11-15T15:15:00.026-05:00

MAKE IT STOP! THE LEAVES, THAT IS. PART DEUX

2009-11-08T16:30:00.002-05:00

Leaf Collection Week on my street. Actually not as bad as previous years. But I have blisters on my fingers.

MUTE MONDAY - TOUCHING

2009-11-08T15:00:00.003-05:00

Moi's Beet-the-Band Throwdown

2009-11-04T00:34:00.002-05:00

Somehow, Troll roped Moi from Bite the Apple into hosting the culinary throwdowns that he started. So, with a theme of beets, we have Moi's Beet-the-Band Culinary Throwdown. With this challenge in mind last week, I did a double-themed dish that I could enter in this challenge and Big Shamu's Dim Sum Sunday Challenge last week with a pumpkin/squash theme. Confused? I was the one that had to sort this out and put together a dish. And this is the payoff because all I have to do is put together a one paragraph blog and link the crap out of it. So, with out further gilding of the lily or fanfare, I humbly enter my Beet Soup in Roasted Acorn Squash for the amusement of all those who didn't make sport of it last week.

An extra bonus (and something that just hit me like a bolt of lightning in the middle of my large forehead) is that the beets are in fact, beet red. I'll take that one step further and call it Phillie's Red - Go Phils!!

MAKE IT STOP! THE LEAVES, THAT IS.

2009-11-03T15:05:00.001-05:00

Leaves are fallin' all around, time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay
but now it's time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way
for now I smell the rain, and with it, pain
and it's headed my way
Aw, sometimes I grow so tired
but I know I've got one thing I got to do...

-Ramble On by Led Zepplin

Kenneth: Is everyone there dead?
Steve: Well, dead-ish.
Kenneth: Is everyone there dead?
Steve: Yeah, in the sense that they all sort of, uh... fell down... and then got up... and started eating each other.

The Pudge (left) and his buddy on Halloween.

MUTE MONDAY - (Fall) CLASSIC

2009-11-01T15:00:00.020-05:00

Note to Readers: I know I'm inviting Blogger Jinx on this one but it's how I'm spending my time right now.

The Phillies in 6 (prediction made October 27th)

GO PHILS!

Dim Sum Sunday/Throwdown Challenge - Beets and Pumpkin

2009-10-25T19:12:00.001-04:00

What you say? Two challenges for the price of one? You know me, if I can cut a corner I'm all over it. So this week Big Shamu over at the Karmic Kitchen has her Dim Sum Sunday Challenge with the theme this week being pumpkin/squash. Moi at Bite the Apple is having a Culinary Throwdown with a theme of beets. This throwdown was formerly hosted by Chef Troll. So old Buzzy decided to combine the two challenges with Beet Soup in Roasted Acorn Squash.

Now I don't normally (ever) cook with beets. My mom use to make them when I was a kid as a side, Sometimes pickled but mostly canned. The first obstacle I ran into was the beet soup. When I told the family, well, let's just say it wasn't well received. The 2nd obstacle was finding the acorn squash. I went to my local produce junction and they had everything except the squash. I ended up getting them at the local ShopRite and pickings were slim.

I took these pictures outside with all the leaves from last night's torrential downpour.

The recipe calls for small squash that you take the top off of. I decided to go with a couple of bigger ones and cut them lengthwise. That worked pretty good.

Cutting up the beets was a red mess. My hands still have a red tint to them. Overall the prep and cooking wasn't that bad.

The final result was a very earthy but slightly bland, beet tasting soup. I'm not sure what I expected but it needed something. It was better when you scooped some of the squash with soup. I added some salt and pepper and that helped. Interesting dish but I don't think I'll make it again.

MUTE MONDAY - (Bud Light) ADVERTISIING

2009-10-25T15:00:00.013-04:00

Buzz Kill's Disclaimer: Buzz Kill and it's subsidiaries do not like nor do they endorse Budweiser or Bud Light. We drink it only when there is absolutely nothing else (like at ball games or while Trick-or-Treating with the kids). That said, Bud Light (and technically Budweiser for the 1st one) has the funniest commercials EVER MADE (if you're a guy) and are what all TV advertising should look like. These are the best of the best - so enjoy.

MUTE MONDAY - ARTHUR/ARTHURS

2009-10-18T15:00:00.005-04:00

Viewer Note: Picture identities are in the file names. Put your cursor over the picture and read the file name at the bottom.

You knew this was coming...
Susan: A real woman could stop you from drinking.
Arthur: It'd have to be a real BIG woman.

Troll's October Culinary Throwdown

2009-10-15T21:55:00.010-04:00

After much badgering from Troll for his "Steak and Potatoes October Throwdown", I decided (at the very last minute) to make a very lame, first-time entry. So here is a typical Thursday night dinner, prepared in about 25 minutes because that's generally all the time I have to get dinner on the table at 6:00PM (as ordered by the Mrs - and I follow orders or people die). Turns out the Mrs was late anyway - again.

Anyway, this is a pan-fried ham steak, steamed potatoes with fresh rosemary and canned green beans (yes, I said canned).

So there you have it, food on a shoestring that has nothing to do with October, every night and on time. Meat and potatoes - it's what's for dinner bitches (that's what I call the monsters when they whine about what's for dinner).

Dim Sum Sunday - π

2009-10-11T20:45:00.001-04:00

This weeks Dim Sum Sunday challenge is pie, one of my favorite food groups. I don't think there's a pie out there that I don't like. One of my all-time favorites is Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie. Many years ago I had an uncle (well, a neighbor my family adopted as uncle) who was quite an avid gardener. He had one of the largest properties in town and he use to farm about an acre. He turned it every year, by hand, until he was well into his 80s. Anyway, one of the things he grew was rhubarb. He would always bring a bunch over and my mom would make about a dozen strawberry-rhubarb pie fillings and freeze them for the winter.

I don't have my mom's recipe handy, so I searched epicurious.com and found Deep-Dish Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping from Bon Appetit, 1989. This is a different type of strawberry-rhubarb then my mom made. She made her own crust and made it as a 2-crust pie. I suck at making crust, so I went with a pre-made crust and this recipe was relatively simple. I was able to get all of the other ingredients.

The only other problem I had was finding fresh rhubarb. Two stores and none to be had, so I went with frozen. At the Shop-Rite, I must have asked five people before I found it - right next to the frozen pie crust.

Here are some of the in-process pictures:

The filling simmering on the stove.

The crumb topping.

Everything ready to go.

Completed pie pre-oven.

The kitchen smelled awesome and I had a little filling left over for the Pudge and I to taste and it was really good - sweet, but good.

After Action Report.

Well, we tried the pie and it was pretty good but very sweet - and a little runny but that's how my mom's always came out. If I make it again (and I probably will) I will cut the sugar in half. The rhubarb is suppose to have a slightly tart sour taste to contrast the sweet strawberries. This is missing that tart. I think because of the sugar and probably because the rhubarb is frozen. But as far as I'm concerned there's no such thing as bad pie.

MUTE MONDAY - (Mad) SCIENCE

2009-10-11T15:00:00.023-04:00

Perfect Tommy: Emilio Lizardo. Wasn't he on TV once?

Buckaroo Banzai: You're thinking of Mr. Wizard.

Reno: Emilio Lizardo is a top scientist, dummkopf.

Perfect Tommy: So was Mr. Wizard.

Classic Movie Parodies

2009-10-10T10:35:00.001-04:00

Fellow twisted blogger K9 posted a hysterical Sound of Music parody over at SparringK9. I really enjoyed it and got to thinking about a couple of other classics that MadTV made many years ago that cause me to laugh so hard I cry every time I watch them. There's nothing funnier then perverting a children's Christmas classic. Enjoy.

MUTE MONDAY - THE (Prat)FALL

2009-10-04T15:00:00.028-04:00

Dim Sum Sunday - Chilies

2009-09-27T15:00:00.027-04:00

After having sat on the sidelines for a while, I'm finally able to make a dish for this weeks Dim Sum Sunday, sponsored by Big Shamu over at the Karmic Kitchen. The theme for this week is chilies. Once again this is an ingredient that I love but is rarely used due to the culinarily less-adventuress people who live in m house. However, this weekend I saw an opportunity - and took it.

The Mrs and I belong to a local swim club sponsored bowling league that meets once a month. This is a social league for drinking, eating, talking and, oh yeah, we sort of bowl while we're eating, drinking and talking. This is our 4th or 5th season in the league and we are paired with some good friends of ours from the neighborhood. Every couple brings whatever they're drinking (mostly beer and wine) plus some sort of food. Most people bring take-out or store bought food, but there are a handful that will actually cook. Everyone in the league puts their food out and it becomes a smorgasbord,

So this was my opportunity. I found Kickin Stuffed Peppers over at allrecipe.com and decided that would be a good one to try. It seemed a little plain as is, so I added some crushed garlic and some fresh thyme that I have growing out back.

Cutting and cleaning the peppers (which were jalapenos that I bought down at the local Produce Junction) was the toughest part. I had a plastic bag on my left hand for a while, but that proved too cumbersome. So I just used my bare hand and was really careful to not touch my face and eyes. I should of had the kitchen window open because I did inhale some of the vapors and could feel it a little in my chest.

Anyway, I got the stuffing made, filled the pepper halves and got them in the oven. The last pictures were rushed because our partners (who were driving) came early to pick us up and I only had enough time to yank them out of the oven, snap a shot and put them in an insulated carrier.

Also of note here is that the Mrs made a Mexican Salad because she wanted something to eat. It was actually quite good. I didn't get any pictures of it though.

When we got to the bowling alley, we were in lanes on the far side of our group. It so happened that another guy on the opposite side (we had about 40 lanes) made a stuffed jalapeno but his was with a cheese filling. The sausage and cream cheese was a surprisingly good combination for as simple as it was with just a hint of thyme. Both his and mine were the sensational appetizers of the night. I didn't take any leftovers home.

And our team won 2 out of 3 games. Probably because I didn't bowl (because of the procedure I had this week - still a little bruised) and used my average from last season.

MUTE MONDAY - THE EIGHTIES (Natural and Man-Made Disasters)

2009-09-27T15:00:00.026-04:00

Viewer's Note: File names will identify each picture and they are in chronological order.

I was actually in this disaster.