i wouldn't put it at the top, but the whole love definitely deserves mention on the year end lists. something to soothe your NYE blues:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNUG6-E2RQg
2011
happy new year, everyone.
i wouldn't put it at the top, but the whole love definitely deserves mention on the year end lists. something to soothe your NYE blues:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNUG6-E2RQg
2011
happy new year, everyone.
To the Trinket, to the Kernel, to famished pete and to the Calf. To Sheenie's fight. To socal's new gig. To the show getting picked up. To meat finding his place in Ireland after it beat him down. To Mag conquering another country. To The Boy getting accepted to the alma mater. To Beau & Stef, to nib & Linds, to Daneeka's Ghost and his wife and whatever he's going to nickname his kid. To those of you who passed the bar. To the memory of CarterHayes's stepfather. To E-6, AMR and anyone else who makes my taste in music better. To the many of you who play Werewolf and Spookymilk Survivor over at my other place. To Sean, who makes this website clean and quick, and who isn't quite as guarded in person. To Jeff's congregations - both the one he serves in his church, and the one he serves by doing such great work here. To ubes's return. To the semi-retirement of our Boss Emeritus, whom without we'd just be a bunch of nerds scattered about the country cheering for the same laundry. To all of us - the religious, the secular, the leftists and rightists, the college sports lovers and college sports haters, the married, the engaged and the still looking, to the kind, the surly, the sarcastic and the level-headed. To the World's Greatest Online Magazine.
I raise my bottle of Sierra Nevada Celebration to y'all. I love you guys.
When on the road I tend not to cook elaborate meals for a multitude of reasons not least of which is that there is very little enjoyment of eating a meal alone when you live in a frozen, cold water, walk up flat. Last night I decided that enough was enough. I was going to pull out all most some of the stops and make a pot of Guinness stew, garlic mashed potatoes, and some pan wilted cabbage. I stopped into the local butcher (I'm lucky enough to live between to family owned butchers who source their product locally, and process the meat in house) and bought about a pound of chuck steak nicely cubed for stewing.
You'll need:
1-1.5 400 mL Cans of Guinness (Pint to pint and a half)
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot sliced into rounds (or your favorite shape)
3 celery stocks sliced into small bits
2-3 cloves garlic smashed
1-2 lbs chuck steak or other cut for stewing cut into 1.5 inch cubes
flour to cover steak
seasoning of your choice for flour (I went with red chili, salt, and pepper)
Neutral Oil that can withstand high temp searing (general purpose olive, or veg / peanut)
Method:
Warm about a table spoon of oil in a dutch oven, or other oven proof pan, over medium / high heat while dredging the steak bits in the seasoned flour. Preheat the oven to 300˚. Add the meat, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sear on all sides, and remove from the pan. You may have to do this step in batches. Once all the meat has been browned add a splash of oil to the pan and toss in the diced onion. Add the carrot and celery to the pot once the onions begin to turn translucent. Cook the veggies, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the celery goes a little soft, and add the garlic. Return the meat to the pan, and pour at least a pint of Guinness over the whole mess. Turn the heat up to to high, bring the pot to a boil, and put into preheated oven for 2-3ish hours. You can also cook this on the stove top by simmering for 2 hours.
The garlic mash is made better with a whole bunch of gruyere and a chopped green onion or two. I pan wilted the cabbage with butter and a hit of salt and pepper.
MEXICAN LEAGUE
Hermosillo 7, Mazatlan 4 in Hermosillo. Anthony Slama pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout for Mazatlan.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Ponce 5, Caguas 2 in Ponce. Angel Morales was 1-for-4 for Ponce.
Mayaguez 6, Carolina 4 in Carolina. Daniel Ortiz was 0-for-3 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly for Mayaguez.
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Anzoategui 5, Lara 4 in Anzoategui (12 innings). Lester Oliveros retired both batters he faced for Anzoategui.
AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE
Perth 9, Adelaide 5 in Adelaide (Game 1—Scheduled 7 innings). Luke Hughes was 1-for-2 with two RBIs for Perth. He was also hit by a pitch.
Perth 16, Adelaide 11 in Adelaide (Game 2—Scheduled 9 innings). Luke Hughes was 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, and three walks, scoring twice for Perth.
Melbourne 15, Sydney 7 in Melbourne (Game 1). Jacob Younis was 0-for-5 and scored once for Sydney.
Brisbane 3, Canberra 2 in Brisbane (Game 1). Rory Rhodes was 2-for-4 with a home run, driving in two for Brisbane.
Brisbane 10, Canberra 2 in Brisbane (Game 2). Rory Rhodes was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk, scoring twice for Brisbane.
King Kelly (1857)
Tom Connolly (1870)
Bobby Byrne (1884)
Syl Johnson (1900)
Tommy Byrne (1919)
Guy LaValliere (1931)
Alfredo Meli (1944)
Joe Simpson (1951)
Jim Tracy (1955)
Rick Aguilera (1961)
Esteban Loiaza (1971)
Brian Moehler (1971)
Julio DePaula (1982)
It does not appear that Bobby Byrne and Tommy Byrne are related. Minor league catcher Guy LaValliere is the father of major league catcher Mike LaValliere.
The highlight of my professional career happened in 2011...the call from just a couple of weeks ago, obviously. This year was a good one, outside the mixed bag in L.A. Enjoy New Year's responsibly, Citizens.
If someone were to describe a song as Richard Ashcroft from the Verve singing "Anti-Christ Television Blues" from the Arcade Fire I am pretty sure I would like it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJsqHrq3pEk
So yeah, this is me describing a song as a dude who sounds like Richard Ashcroft from the Verve singing a song that sounds like "Anti-Christ Television Blues" from the Arcade Fire.
The countdown to the New Year has begun. What better excuse do we need for a little culinary exercise. This recipe is ridiculously easy and will serve 5-6 generously.
This dish is a variation off a recipe from Michael Chiarello. The Napa-based chef comes across as supremely arrogant, but the dude can cook, and has a passion for creating attainable recipes. (I was rooting for him in the Next Iron Chef competition against the even-more arrogant Geoffrey Zakarian). And this recipe is a simple slam dunk.
Of course, I've taken some liberties.
2 lbs peeled, deveined shrimp | 3 cans Cannelloni white beans | 1/2 tsp chile flakes |
4-6 cloves garlic, sliced | 1/4 cup finely diced smoked ham | 1/4 cup finely diced celery |
1 shallot, finely chopped | 1 cup diced, fresh tomato | 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped |
juice of 1/2 lemon | finely grated zest from the lemon (optional) | a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped |
a sprig of rosemary, broken into several pieces, 2-3 inches each | 1 tsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped | good olive oil |
Drain the beans over a bowl, reserving the liquid. You will need about a cup of the liquid. Saute the ham with extra virgin olive oil for a couple minutes, then add the rosemary sprigs, celery and shallot. Sweat for a couple minutes, then add a pinch of salt and a few good grinds of pepper. Saute for a minute until fragrant, then add the beans and enough of the reserved liquid to moisten. Stir to combine and keep warm. You want the beans moist, but not swimming.
I like to brine my shrimp for 20 minutes or so before-hand, then drain well, pat dry, and mix in a couple tablespoons of olive oil to marinate slightly before sauteing. If you do brine, you don't really need to add any (or much) salt to this dish. Stir in the chopped rosemary and a few grinds of black pepper.
Heat a large skillet to smoking hot. Add olive oil and saute the shrimp in 2-3 batches until just done (about a minute), reserving in a bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add more oil if needed, then saute the garlic for a minute. Add the chile flakes and saute another minute. Add the tomato and spinach and saute until the spinach is just wilted. Return the shrimp and any juices to the pan. Add the lemon juice. Stir to re-heat, then stir in the lemon zest and sprinkle with parsley.
Spoon the beans into pasta bowls (remove the rosemary sprigs). Drizzle with good olive oil (optional) and top with a generous serving of shrimp. Serve with crostini and a big salad. Ask zooomx for a nice white wine to accompany. Enjoy.
Boston names Alex Ochoa first base coach.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Escogido 4, Cibao 1 in Escogido. Pedro Florimon was 0-for-3 for Escogido. Alexi Casilla was 0-for-4 for Cibao. Wilkin Ramirez was 0-for-4 for Cibao.
MEXICAN LEAGUE
Hermosillo 6, Mazatlan 5 in Hermosillo. Anthony Slama gave up a hit but no runs in two-thirds of an inning for Mazatlan.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Ponce 2, Carolina 1 in Carolina (Game 1--Scheduled 7 innings). Angel Morales was 1-for-2 with a walk for Ponce.
Ponce 2, Carolina 1 in Carolina (Game 2). Angel Morales was 2-for-3 with a walk for Ponce.
Mayaguez 4, Caguas 1 in Mayaguez. Daniel Ortiz was 0-for-3 with a walk for Mayaguez. Nelvin Fuentes retired the only man he faced for Mayaguez.
AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE
Perth 5, Adelaide 4 in Perth (Game 1--Scheduled 7 innings). Luke Hughes was 1-for-2 with an RBI and was hit by a pitch for Perth.
Perth 10, Adelaide 9 in Adelaide (Game 2). Luke Hughes was 4-for-5 with two home runs and a walk, scoring twice and driving in three for Perth. Brendan Wise got his third save for Perth, giving up a hit and striking out one in a scoreless inning.
Sydney 15, Melbourne 5 in Melbourne. Jacob Younis was 1-for-5 and scored once for Sydney.
Canberra 9, Brisbane 6 in Brisbane (10 innings). Rory Rhodes was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in two for Brisbane.