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Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
BBQ Salmon Pizza

I made this pizza recently and loved it ! The best part is other than the pre-made dough I bought at Trader Joes I was honestly just trying to get rid of what was in the fridge. It is a black bean, bbq salmon pizza with caramelized onions, sesame seeds, and goat cheese, finished with fresh basil. Sounds crazy I know, but it was good enough that even though I knew I was full, and I KNEW I'd regret the hell out of it, I STILL ate a third piece. Sick.
I did not put strict measurements here, this is because you dont need them ! Have fun and taste while you go... depending on how big of a pizza your dough makes you can eyeball how much to use and how to spread out the ingreeds...
Pre-heat oven 375 degrees
Ingreeds...
pre-made pizza dough ( more power to ya if you want to make your own KEVIN, but Im personally not there yet, I like the Trader Joes dough, they even have whole wheat dough- not as good) ... and of course follow the dough directions... DO NOT forget to take out of fridge for 20 min or so this is KEY
black bean puree about half the can or so ( mine was canned, but you could make this as well, just cook em and throw em in the food processor)... definitely important that they are pureed as we will be spreading it as the base
salmon fresh, canned, or frozen... of course fresh is best
red onion half of an average size onion (sliced into rings)
orange one whole juiced
goat cheese any kind and as much as you want !
sesame seeds mine were in a shaker type thing, like what spices come in
basil the one thing you should be strict about in this pizza is that the basil is fresh
bbq sauce this is kind of an everything but the kitchen sink scenario dominated slightly by orange juice...
in order of appearance ( i know this makes some people nervous but ITS OK, just use your brain and think that you want enough to cook the salmon in, and a little left over to drizz )
ketchup 3/4 cup
orange juice ( save a little to soak onions in before caramelizing)
honey
brown sugar ( let say no more than 2 tbsp unless you are making tons)
mustard
chile pepper ( I had a dried morita in mine but anything from red pepper flakes to jalapenos would work, just something for a kick)
vinegar ( i used apple cider vinegar, the sweetness plays well with the others, BUT you could get away with any type I think, just use a little less if its not the AC vinegar)
salt, pepper,cinnamon and cumin ( literally dashes of the last two)
Alrighty, lets get this shizer done ! I'd say its best to take the dough out of the fridge first and set aside. Now the sauce, because the slower and lower the better ! This way it can simmer while you put the rest of the puzzle together. In a small to medium sauce pan throw all the ingreeds in and dont forget they are listed in order of appearance starting with 3/4 cup ketchup and descending from there. This sauce will reduce quite a bit and become a beautiful, glossy dark amber. Make sure you keep it on LOW.
Toss your sliced onion rings in about 1/4 of all the orange juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Now, do the deal with your dough, and dont obsess over the shape for gods sake... just make it happy, it tastes the same either way! If you are not doing this on a pizza stone ( which would mean on a pan of some kind) spray it with non-stick action NOW, then put the dough on it and build the pizza here.
Start by evenly spreading the black bean puree over the dough leaving some edges clean for crust. Do not put a ton of pressure down while doing this as you might make a hole in the dough. Gentle.
Ok toss those onions in a saute pan ( just as they are with the OJ, nothing else !) and start on low, checking on them every once in a while... you may want to go up to medium heat eventually.
Now as long as about 10 or 15 minutes has past since you put the bbq sauce on we are good to go. If not just relax for a few, trust me you want to flavors to love each other. Then in a saute pan covered lightly in olive oil, or veg oil, whatever you like, place the salmon. Mix in most of the bbq sauce while gently breaking up the salmon into small flaky pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until cooked to your liking, and remember this will be spending time in the oven so depending on your taste you may not want to cook it through.
Spread salmon evenly over the black bean puree.
Time to check the onions. You want to see golden but translucent color. You also want them to be reduced a bit in size since the water has been cooked out of them. So look at my pictures and then look at your onions, if they look ANYTHING alike youre golden !
Now evenly spread the onions over your pizza.
Now the same with the goat cheese, break it up and spread it out.
Drizzle the remainder of your bbq sauce over the pizza.
Now sprink

"Shitaake mushroom!" You made a pizza. Put that bad boy in the oven for about 12 minutes and hope for the best ! Just kidding, it'll be fine. 12 minutes is probably not long enough, but its a great time to check on it. Everyones oven and tastes are different so just SET A TIMER, cause if youre anything like me you will try to do 15 things before the pizza is done and chances are the b*t$h might burn ! Dont take a chance.
Chop that FRESH basil, and when your amazing masterpiece is cooked to perfection you let the basil fall over it slowly like the finishing touches of a Rembrandt.
Eat it. Love it. Live it.
And let me know how it really was, god damned it. Seriously just because something worked once doesnt mean it will work every time !
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
TMI ?
( jellyfish definitely do not multi-task)

Have you ever caught yourself in a compromising or awkward position just because you are trying to do 12 things at once, or to avoid making the dreaded two trips ? Why do we do this to ourselves? Just today I found myself with a cookie in one hand and toilet paper in the other. What the f*#k ? 1. Gross ! and 2. How in the hell? Well, there is what seemed to me at the time a perfectly sound explanation. Or at least a sound explanation of how I wound up like that, but not why.
Where do I start... I think I had just cleaned up the kitchen and was headed back to the other end of my apartment with some papers in my hand when I simultaneously realized how hungry I was, and decided I was too lazy to make something serious. So, I grabbed a cookie. Closing the lid of the cookie jar with the papers hanging from my mouth. I proceeded down the hall and had to make a pit stop. Into the loo I went. Immediately I put the papers down on the counter without hesitation. But what to do with the cookie? Something just did not feel right about putting it down on ANY surface in there. It wasnt because the bathroom was dirty, I like to think I keep a pretty clean place. It might have been in part due to the fact that I put some serious love into making these delicious peanut butter chocolate chip delights just the day before. Either way, I wasnt puttin this cookie down. So there I was, sitting on the toilet, peeing, with a god damned delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookie in my right hand. Naturally when the time came I had to do the old switcheroo between the cookie and the toilet paper( does that need explaining?), and as awkwardly as I got into that position, I got out.
Am I the only one who does things like this?
Now I really hope my little anecdote wasnt too much for some people, I just dont understand why we think that those 15 seconds it would have taken me to put the cookie down in the kitchen and walk back to the bathroom are so valuable. Im pretty sure it didnt get me ahead of the game for the day.
Has our fast paced, coffee drive- thru, eat in the car culture penetrated us so deeply that we cant even relax at HOME ? Home is where the heart is. Home on the range. Home is where you hang your hat ( I think thats one ) . Where thou art- that- is Home. Home is where you pee with a cookie in your hand? I dont think so.
I told you Wednesdays would be a crap shoot ! ( pun intended)

Have you ever caught yourself in a compromising or awkward position just because you are trying to do 12 things at once, or to avoid making the dreaded two trips ? Why do we do this to ourselves? Just today I found myself with a cookie in one hand and toilet paper in the other. What the f*#k ? 1. Gross ! and 2. How in the hell? Well, there is what seemed to me at the time a perfectly sound explanation. Or at least a sound explanation of how I wound up like that, but not why.
Where do I start... I think I had just cleaned up the kitchen and was headed back to the other end of my apartment with some papers in my hand when I simultaneously realized how hungry I was, and decided I was too lazy to make something serious. So, I grabbed a cookie. Closing the lid of the cookie jar with the papers hanging from my mouth. I proceeded down the hall and had to make a pit stop. Into the loo I went. Immediately I put the papers down on the counter without hesitation. But what to do with the cookie? Something just did not feel right about putting it down on ANY surface in there. It wasnt because the bathroom was dirty, I like to think I keep a pretty clean place. It might have been in part due to the fact that I put some serious love into making these delicious peanut butter chocolate chip delights just the day before. Either way, I wasnt puttin this cookie down. So there I was, sitting on the toilet, peeing, with a god damned delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookie in my right hand. Naturally when the time came I had to do the old switcheroo between the cookie and the toilet paper( does that need explaining?), and as awkwardly as I got into that position, I got out.
Am I the only one who does things like this?
Now I really hope my little anecdote wasnt too much for some people, I just dont understand why we think that those 15 seconds it would have taken me to put the cookie down in the kitchen and walk back to the bathroom are so valuable. Im pretty sure it didnt get me ahead of the game for the day.
Has our fast paced, coffee drive- thru, eat in the car culture penetrated us so deeply that we cant even relax at HOME ? Home is where the heart is. Home on the range. Home is where you hang your hat ( I think thats one ) . Where thou art- that- is Home. Home is where you pee with a cookie in your hand? I dont think so.
I told you Wednesdays would be a crap shoot ! ( pun intended)
Labels:
cookies,
fast paced culture,
TMI
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Swine Flu Skeptic
Just a quick question for all of you out there... In all this hullabaloo about H1N1 lately have any of you heard of a CONFIRMED case ? Im trying to figure out how the media gets away with all of this hype when these supposed Swine Flu rashes in colleges across the country are all UNCONFIRMED. Some of these kids havent even made it to the school doctor, but yet they are on CNN and are getting out of going to class... Watch this clip and YOU tell me who is winning this battle...and notice how they like, wont like totally say there are any like "confirmed" cases of like Swine Flu. Holler !
Monday, August 31, 2009
Healthcare reform and Evolutionary Irony
So I realize these "Town Hall" meetings are becoming the Brett Favre of politics, we really dont want to hear about them anymore till its all figured out, but somehow I am still hooked on watching the clips and in awe of the stories I hear. I wouldn't even be bringing this up but last week Jackie, my youngest brothers girlfriend, went to one of these meetings in Middletown, NJ. She sent me a couple texts from the meeting that blew me away. "A man here has a sign that says Ted Kennedy should burn in hell" , and " fist fights are breaking out !"... Seriously? Middletown is only a small distance from where I grew up, really the towns are so small I may as well say that it IS where I grew up. I would like to think I could expect better behavior. When these clips and soundbites first surfaced from these crazy meetings my initial instinct was to wonder what kind of rinky dink, backwoods, home schooled towns would produce people who would act like that. Well, my judgemental thought manifested instant karma ! Even in my well polished home town area full of stock trading, Ivy League educated, seer sucker wearing beach goers, they were not above the barbaric behavior demonstrated in some of the meetings we all saw on TV. "Ted Kennedy should burn in hell" ??...again, seriously? These were people that seemed to me to want to BE the Kennedys ! Now I wonder if they really even knew the genuine care for all walks of life that motivated any of the Kennedys to push for the type of reform they achieved in their lives. I think they were blinded by the beauty and image of the family. They "looked" like what others wanted to be... so they must have the same views as us. The complexity of the situation is unending. People are confused, some are uneducated at least on the subject, and there are lies being tossed around by politicians and laymen alike.
Although I am aware that there are exceptions to every rule, and really I myself am not much a fan of generalizing or using stereotypes, I think I can almost make two groups out the people opposing healthcare reform. Group one is simple, the people with enough money not to care for or need change. They may even have stock in pharmaceuticals, and probably didnt vote for Obama in the first place because they were scared they may actually be taxed on the money they "earned" raping the stock market. Group two is a little more complicated but generally consists of more religious types that like to use over- patriotic rhetoric to guilt or corner the opposition. Now yes, I did say "over-patriotic", but what I mean by that is that they use and exploit talk of the country, what it is or should be to further their own views ( fear) and agendas. To me, that is the least patriotic thing you can do. Patriotism is meant to be a unifying agent. The glue that holds us all together. The reason I get a tear in my eye every Fourth of July watching fireworks !
Lets take a moment to watch a clip...Now Im pretty sure the people in this meeting below have no idea what it was intended to be about... I believe this is more than half of our battle. People seem to want to yell and scream and feel they have conviction when they arent even informed an IOTA on the issues. At least have the dignity to educate yourself before you go and disrupt what is meant to be an exercise in democracy.
This second group of anti-health reformers are the ones who have shown me what I feel is the most interesting insight ( at least for me) in the whole ball of wax. Lets go back to the fact that many of the people within this group would consider themselves religious, typically Christian. I am not sure what you have and have not seen on the news but many of the TH meetings had instances where both women and men made a point about not wanting any of their tax money being put towards a system that may help pay for any abortion related appointment. I can understand that. If my convictions were strongly against abortion I suppose that would be a concern of mine as well. Naturally we can progress from this and say, I think with confidence, that these are the same people who have been against or would be against the teaching of evolution in schools. They feel that we are chosen beings, very much distinct from any other animal, and the idea that we evolved from monkeys is preposterous and insulting. Have you seen what those animals act like? The pounding on their chests? The yelling and screaming ? The going after one another like that? How these people can look at themselves in the mirror after their behavior in some of these meetings and NOT see a monkey is beyond me ! Their emotions and fear have overcome them to the point that what ever they learned acceptable has gone right out the window and they have regressed right back to our monkey uncles !! Just embrace it, and pound on your chest, it feels good ! But lets not let it come to this...
Although I am aware that there are exceptions to every rule, and really I myself am not much a fan of generalizing or using stereotypes, I think I can almost make two groups out the people opposing healthcare reform. Group one is simple, the people with enough money not to care for or need change. They may even have stock in pharmaceuticals, and probably didnt vote for Obama in the first place because they were scared they may actually be taxed on the money they "earned" raping the stock market. Group two is a little more complicated but generally consists of more religious types that like to use over- patriotic rhetoric to guilt or corner the opposition. Now yes, I did say "over-patriotic", but what I mean by that is that they use and exploit talk of the country, what it is or should be to further their own views ( fear) and agendas. To me, that is the least patriotic thing you can do. Patriotism is meant to be a unifying agent. The glue that holds us all together. The reason I get a tear in my eye every Fourth of July watching fireworks !
Lets take a moment to watch a clip...Now Im pretty sure the people in this meeting below have no idea what it was intended to be about... I believe this is more than half of our battle. People seem to want to yell and scream and feel they have conviction when they arent even informed an IOTA on the issues. At least have the dignity to educate yourself before you go and disrupt what is meant to be an exercise in democracy.
This second group of anti-health reformers are the ones who have shown me what I feel is the most interesting insight ( at least for me) in the whole ball of wax. Lets go back to the fact that many of the people within this group would consider themselves religious, typically Christian. I am not sure what you have and have not seen on the news but many of the TH meetings had instances where both women and men made a point about not wanting any of their tax money being put towards a system that may help pay for any abortion related appointment. I can understand that. If my convictions were strongly against abortion I suppose that would be a concern of mine as well. Naturally we can progress from this and say, I think with confidence, that these are the same people who have been against or would be against the teaching of evolution in schools. They feel that we are chosen beings, very much distinct from any other animal, and the idea that we evolved from monkeys is preposterous and insulting. Have you seen what those animals act like? The pounding on their chests? The yelling and screaming ? The going after one another like that? How these people can look at themselves in the mirror after their behavior in some of these meetings and NOT see a monkey is beyond me ! Their emotions and fear have overcome them to the point that what ever they learned acceptable has gone right out the window and they have regressed right back to our monkey uncles !! Just embrace it, and pound on your chest, it feels good ! But lets not let it come to this...
Labels:
evolution,
middletown nj,
town hall meetings
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