Announcement

I've got just one more entry to write (the wedding), and then I'll have a whole bunch of stuff ready to roll out on a fairly regular basis. The drought is ending. Expect to start catching up on my life later this week...

Cooking with Ward: Valentine's Day

So I had Cindy over for dinner for Valentine's day and did my second night of major cooking in as many weeks.

I began preparing dessert the night before. I decided to make the same ice cream cake sort of thing that I had made for July 4 last summer. I'll go ahead and give away the secret here, though I'm afraid it might detract somewhat once you know how simple it is.

Buy a couple of boxes of ice cream sandwiches. Put down a layer of them in a pan that's a couple of inches tall. Work fast to keep melting to a minimum. Next, spread a layer of some kind of ice cream topping on top; I used Dove hot fudge for this one. You then poor some liquid over, which will help hold the layers together when it freezes. The original recipe calls for flavored coffee creamer; I chose instead to mix 2 parts plain creamer (I used Coffee Mate) with 1 part liquor; in this case, kahlua. Mine ended up a bit heavy on the alcohol, so I'd probably do 3 parts/1 part next time around. A cup should be enough to cover a layer of 12 sandwiches; adjust accordingly if you're doing a different-size recipe.

Once that's poured over the first sandwich/topping layer, put down the next layer of sandwiches. Again follow up with the topping layer, and then again with more of the creamer mixture. Finally, put a nice thick layer of cool whip on top; you'll probably use up a regular-sized tub up doing so. If you want to get fancy, decorate the top a bit. I used toasted almond slivers and coffee grounds and was pleased with the result.

Moving onto the dinner, the main course was filet mignon on a bed of asparagus topped with mushrooms. I started out sautéing the mushrooms in butter and garlic, adding some garlic salt to get them appropriately salty. Put those aside somewhere where they'll stay warm. I did the asparagus next. I bought white and green asparagus because I thought it would help the presentation. Again, I sautéd in garlic and butter and salted with garlic salt, but also added the juice of one lemon, which ties things in with the steak. Once it's sautéd, put it aside and keep it warm just like the mushrooms.

Now onto the steak. I picked up the filets from Central Market and was pleased with the quality of the meet. They were nice, thick cuts. You probably pay an extra $5 to $10 to get a filet instead of another cut, but hell, it's totally worth it to get the best. There's no reason to fuck around when it comes to steak. Life's just too short.

I sprinkled the top and bottom liberally with steak seasoning and lemon pepper in the traditional Robert Ward fashion. Because I lack a grill, I cooked them in the skillet, again with butter and garlic. It's a little tricky doing them on the grill. Once they're just a little rarer than what you want, take them off. The garlic in the skillet should have browned nicely by this point and can be spread on top of the steak.

Get your plates, put down a layer of asparagus, and then put the steak on top, and cover with mushrooms, and scatter any remaining mushrooms around the plate.

The white asparagus turned out to be fairly bitter; I'd think twice about using it again. But it sure looked pretty. It also needed a little more salt. The lemon worked well on it, though.

The steak ended up more rare than medium, espcially in the thicker parts, but Cindy was happy with hers and I was lazy, so I didn't bother trying to get them a little more done.

Too rare or not, damn, that was good steak. Like eating meat in butter form (or is that the other way around?). For a first attempt, it turned out quite well.

Cindy contributed bread with roasted garlic; a nice spinache/mixed green salad with roasted peppers, feta, and a seasame ginger dressing; and some kind of empanada-ish Indian appetizer served with mint chutney and mango chutney. Everything was great.

I grabbed a bottle of Bordeaux off the rack to serve with dinner. It was fairly dry, but smooth, and not so complex as to get in the way of the flavor of the food. It was a 2001 bottle I'd been saving for a special occasion for a while, and this qulaified.

All in all, my portion of the meal was probably around $50. It saved me quite a bit of money, let me give things a personal touch, and, additionally, I had fun cooking. Good stuff.

Progress report

Wrote two posts tonight, but they're out of order so I'll hold off publishing them until later.

I'm trying a new approach, writing the posts I feel like writing rather than going strictly chronologically. This should help me keep from forgetting some details, because the early parts of January are starting to feel a bit hazy.

February is up to date. I need to go back and do January, and then the end of December. I will get things back to normal. Oh yes.

Cooking: sausage and veggie fajitas

I did some serious cooking tonight for the first time in a while.

The inspiration was some pork/jalapeño/cheddar sausage I picked up at Central Market last night while I was on a trip there to arrange for some other things. And some fresh tortillas.

I decided the two would go well together, but that I needed some veggies to offset things, so this evening I made a quick run to the store for the necessary stuff.

I first cooked the sausage, then added some water to the remaining grease, and tossed in the veggies: zuchinni, yellow squash, orange bell pepper, a couple of jalapeños (seeds removed), carrots, and mushrooms. I poored some olive oil over this and started the cooking. I squeezed a couple of limes in, added some fresh garlic, some butter, and then for seasoning I added fajita seasoning, jalapeño seasoning, garlic sauce, and jalapeño tobasco.

Once this was all sautéing nicely, the kicker: a liberal sprinkling of tequial.

I let the liquid cook down. In retrospect, less liquid/crisper veggies would have been nice. Probably less olive oil as well to keep the final product less oily.

Anyuway, I cut up the sausage, tossed it back in to heat it up, and then served it all on tortillas.

It was damned tasty. I was pleased.

The dangers of cell phones... to eggs

I find the health implications of this instructional article to be the least bit disturbing.

2005 list: The big thing

So, here's what everyone's been waiting one—or at least, Bryan. Themes for this year: "fun" albums; albums that started strong and didn't last; and, the eternal question: stick to the safe established sound, or attempt to evolve and risk failing? It's been a year without the obvious standouts like the Arcade Fire last year, or the Postal Service the year before. But still, looking at the list, there was plenty of good stuff this year. I managed to add over 2000 songs to my iTunes library this year, about half of which (5 GB) were releases from this year. Why 24 albums? Because, out of the ones I bothered to get to know adequately, that's how many I liked.

I'm sure there are a lot of typos below; I'm too lazy to proof this tonight, and I need to get that fucker Bryan off my back. So, without further ado, the list:

1. Sufjan Stevens, Illinois: It would have been so easy for me to have missed this one. Somewhat flat and unvaried upon the first listen, hearing Chicago at the right time in the right place finally got me to give the album a thorough listen (nothing's better for serious listening time than a road trip), and I discovered an album full of beautiful music, clever lyricism, and emotional depth. Once you get past the overlong song titles, excessive instrumental interludes and the overall need for an editor, there's a beautiful, classic album. How long before Stevens' road trip through the fifty states hits Texas?
2. The Magnolia Electric Co., What Comes After The Blues and Trials and Errors: Between the live album that started out the year, and their second full length (well, and the lackluster Hard to Love a Man EP), MECo had a big year. Sadly, I didn't get to catch them live, but they get much respect for their tour of small Texas towns. "What Comes After The Blues" was one of my most listened to albums of the year. It's subtle but strong. I love this band and their output this year gave them enough momentum to keep my enthusiasm going. God bless you, Jason Molina, and your blue collar rock as well.
3. Okkervil River, Black Sheep Boy" and "Appendix: After missing most of their opening for the Decemberists (a nice fit), but catching their great show at unlikely venue the Mucky Duck, I finally gave their album the chance it deserved, and found a sometimes-rocking, always literate album that I still haven't completely managed to unravel. Shades of the psychotic dreamworld of Neutral Milk Hotel hint at the depth of the album. I was thrilled with the chance to catch them live again in November in light of my exploration of the album, and with the follow-up EP which further explores the musical and literary themes of the album. A great band that I hope is bound for even bigger and better things.
4. Death Cab For Cutie, Plans: From my initial disappointment at the lack of rocking to its penetration of my brain through subtle hooks and emotional depths, Death Cab have done it again, even if they have done it differently from what I might have wanted. Plans picks up on the quieter moments of Transatlanticism and expands on them, with some great peaks, such as the wonderfully sad "What Sarah Said" and the devoted "I Will Follow You into the Dark". "Marching Bands of Manhattan" has the smarts to start off with cleansing organ chords reminiscent of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" (a personal favorite musical moment), and songs like "Crooked Teeth" show that they can still rock when they want to. My initial pessimism gave into optimism when their ACL show proved that, despite the influx of teeny bopper OC fans, I've hopefully got lots to look forward to from one of my personal favorites.
5. The Decemberists, Picaresque: Colin Meloy does it again, putting out an album of songs reminiscent of 18th and 19th century romance novels, protest songs, chronicles of sports jock humiliation, and "spy who loved me" romances that matches his previous albums, and maybe even surpasses them. Here's a case where it pays to stay the course and keep your signature sound and quirks. It's hard to imagine work of this caliber getting old.
6. Spoon, Gimme Fiction: How can I describe the workman-like, competent post-punk/indie rock of this band without making it sound like it's mediocre? Britt Daniel must have uncovered some secret rock theorem and leading to an understanding of exactly how all the parts fit together to make a great song that rocks. From the distorted guitar theatrics of "The Beast and the Dragon, Adored", through the solid "The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine", the Prince by way of Beck "I Turn My Camera On", the solid rocking of "Sister Jack", and the bouncy acoustic rock of "I Summon You", it's an album of some of the best songs they've ever recorded, even if some of the ones I didn't name could have been cut.
7. Bloc Party, Silent Alarm: It took their unexepected highlight performance at September's Austin City Limits Festival to sell me on them, but their over the top, energetic performance introduced me to an album of great new wave/post punk rock revival. Lots of fun and great broad appeal make it an easy recommendation for anyone.
8. Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene: More racous, rocking, and propulsive than their 2003 breakthrough, but perhaps not as charming. I'm sure this one would have made for an amazing live show, and it saddens me that the fuckers skipped Houston this time around. Still, you get Emily Haines, Leslie Feist, and Amy Millan together on one album and tell me that's not a beautiful, beautiful thing.
9. Wolf Parade, Apologies To The Queen Mary: Once a contender for the top spot, it didn't last (which could mean that it was just released too early in the year). Still, I wonder if it should have been ranked a little higher. Nice bits reminiscent of Modest Mouse, with lots of good synth work. A very easy and fun listen. And when the synth intro to "I'll Believe In Anything" starts, and the snare comes in, and then the guitar, and the vocals start up, and then the song just never lets up, you'll think, at least for a few minutes, that this one deserved number one.
10. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Another contender for the top spot, it's fallen quite a bit. The best moments are great, but ultimately the album is a demo EP, stretched too thin with short instrumentals. But when it's on, it's a wonderful combination of styles and of a ton of great musical moments.
11. Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much Better: More of the same, but plenty solid, competent, and calculated. So far they very much remind me of the career trajectories of the Strokes and Interpol. Great first album, very similar second album. What will the third bring? More of the same? A great reinvention? A failed attempt to freshen things up?
12. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Worlds Apart: Another disagreement with Pitchfork. I guess this one is really two steps forward, one step back. The songs are more distinctive, more epic, and more ass kicking—at least towards the beginning of the album. But they fail to keep the momentum going (or may it's just too much of the same) towards the end, and it doesn't hit a killer climax the way Source Tags and Code did a few years ago. Entirely worth having for its best moments, though. Also, thanks to the band for coming through Houston a second time this year, playing a smaller venue, and making up for a fairly sloppy first show with a great second one.
13. Folds, Ben, Songs For Silverman: Two steps forward and one step back for Mr. Ben. On the one hand, the music is as beautiful as his slow ballads have ever been, and the new band is great fun. On the other hand, though, the songs seem half-formed. I know Ben can write songs better than this. The music's there, but the lyrics just aren't done yet. Great to listen to, but it doesn't really stick with you.
14. Jens Lekman, Oh You're So Silent Jens: I'm still sort of formulating a final opinion on this one. Is it great or just good? The best possible combination of Belle & Sebastian and the Magnetic Fields, or just a warmed over hash of the two? Coming towards the end of the year, he gets the benefit of the doubt for his very likable lo-fi sound and clever lyrics. He's definitely one to watch, and one whose back catalog demands more exploration.
15. Architecture In Helsinki, In Case We Die: Although I never quite caught the same level of enthusiasm as Dan on this one, but it's a great example of the hyper prog genre. A more youthful, less overwrought (if you consider that a good thing) Polyphonic Spree, with the same sort of infectious enthusiasm. Plus, they avoid impenetrable ten minute opening tracks that drag down genre-mates The Fiery Furnaces. Good live show, too.
16. Youth Group, Skeleton Jar: I was obsessed with this one for a while. I had to respectfully disagree with Pitchfork's opinion on this one. It was quite catchy and emotionally involving (and a bit uplifting) if not particularly original. Lots of fun to listen to, but maybe it falls apart if you think too hard about it.
17. M.I.A., Arular: Hey, it's a rap album that I actually listened to and didn't find horribly boring. MIA does a nice job of being distinctive (at least compared to everything else that's popular these days). I found the live show a little lacking, but this is the type of variety I like to see in rap.
18. Dios (Malos), Dios (Malos): Dios changed things up a lot this time around. Sadly, they're magically old, rainy, grainy sound from the last album didn't make the transition, but like so many groups on the list, you can't fault them for trying to keep things fresh. Lots of fun moments. Pitchfork found it a little inane, but if it is, it doesn't get in the way of a fun album.
19. Rogue Wave, Descended Like Vultures: Solid, breezy pop. It doesn't always stick out, but it sure does go down smooth. A pleasant, easy listen.
20. DangerDoom, The Mouse & The Mask: Another rap album that I actually listened to. The tie-in with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim was a great idea. Danger Mouse's beats keep me from getting bored the way I often do with rap, and MF Doom's rapping is consistently interesting. The Adult Swim stuff could have been better used, but it's a good effort. Recommended for fans of any of the three.
21. The White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan: The Whites get points for mixing it up, trying new things, and ditching the electric guitar for a while. They loose points for failing to provide a consistently compelling listen. Still, it has its high points. I queued up White Blood Cells the other day, and was reminded of how great they can be. Thanks for trying to keep that greatness up rather than just falling into a holding pattern. Keep on trying.
22. Caribou, The Milk Of Human Kindness: Honestly, I don't throw in this album (from the folks who used to call themselves Manitoba) very often, but this album makes its way onto the list by virtue of the band's absolutely stellar live show. This is (and other bands of the type, like Austin's Octopus Project) is electronica I can get into.
23. Love As Laughter, Laughter's Fifth: Not quite what I was expecting compared to the fuzzed-out, Built to Spill-covered "Singing Swores Make Perfect Swords", but this is some fun, up, guitar-driven indie rock. My infaturation with this album didn't last long enough to put it higher up in the list (oh, the curse of an early in the year release!), but it's a fun listen to throw in every now and then.
24. Nedelle, From The Lion's Mouth: I've blogged about catching Nedelle (or her collaboration Nedelle & Thom) a couple of times. She's got a beautiful, pure voice. I prefer the stuff with Thom, which is a little more stylized, but this album is still a great, easy, fun listen.

2005 list: The little things

Edit: Added Beck's Guero to the "rejects" list during the construction of the main list. New list up soon!

Here's the albums that didn't make the list because they just weren't that good.

• Beck, Guero: I debated as to where to put this one. It's not bad, necessarily, but, well, it's not that good. Some of the tracks are likable enough in the way that Beck's "up" singles are always likable, and a couple recall good moments from his previous albums. Most, however, don't, preferring to just lie there and be boring. It seems Beck can never go home again. He needs to keep moving from style to style like some sort of musical nomad.
• Weezer, Make Believe: Do I regret my excitement at the return of Weezer with their release of the green album? I'm not sure anymore. The green album and Maladroit at least had some keepers, but this is just worthless. "Beverly Hills" has a nice stomp to it, but in the end, it's just not enough.
• Dave Matthews Band, Stand Up: Yes. I bought this. I can't call it a disappointment, because it's, I guess, better than I expected. A few years ago this would have pissed me off as a sell out album like Everyday, but at this point, everything they could do with the DMB "house sound" has been done, I think. I guess I would have preferred the more prog directions they were going with Before These Crowded Streets, but hey, at least they're trying. Not that they're exactly suceeding...
• Gorillaz, Demon Days: It's sad to see a band put out as kick ass of a single as "Feel Good Inc." and not be able to follow up on its promise at all. One moment of pop greatness and an album full of wankery. Oh well. We should be thankful for what we get.

Here's the top 40ish songs that I actually bothered to download and liked:

• Destiny's Child, "Lose My Breath": Technically a 2004 release, but I just downloaded it this year so I'll use it to bad this list out a bit. I have somebody (the makers of Drumline?) to thank for the popularization of marching band-style backing tracks in pop music. The snares on this track kick so much ass that I can ignore the crappy R&B song slathered on top of it.
• Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl": Continuing the marching band stuff, but this time with a better song and casting Gwen Stefani as a cheerleader ready to kick Courtney Love's ass. Love the brass. The call and response is nice, too, though I'd probably prefer a crowd response rather than Gwen doing both parts...
• Kanye West, "Golddigger":
Heard this a few times (just the "Go ahead girl, get down, get down") before realizing what it was. The use of the Jamie Foxx loop is crucial, but using the original Ray Charles could have spared us a Jamie Foxx album. Though perhaps it was inevitable given Ray's success. Anyway, good song, but leaves me wanting more.
• Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone": Damnable text messaging-style aside, this song kicks ass. Not that I give Kelly credit, but whoever put this together knew how pop songs work. Great "fuck off" song. Nice use of the drum machine to start off, and then they bring in the kit when it gets heavy. Works wonderfully. Kelly doesn't showboat too much, either. Lots of fun.

And up next, albums that were neglected enough that I couldn't put them on the "Best Of" list. The more I download, the more it happens. Writing this makes me think that there's just too much music for me to keep up with. Add in the old stuff that I love but never listen to, and the old stuff I could have loved but never listened to, and it all gets quite overwhelming:

• Metric, Live It Out: Chris loves them. I was hoping for the Emily Haines of "Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl". Saw them live, and didn't really feel compelled to listen to the album any more. I may not ever.
• Why?, Sanddollars EP: Saw them at the Proletariat. Seemed OK. Could be something I pick up in the future.
• Ward, M., Transistor Radio: I listened to Transfiguration of Vincent a lot this year, but not this one. I'm sure it's great. I just haven't gotten to it yet.
• Sun Kil Moon, Tiny CitiesSo maybe this one doesn't strictly qualify as neglected. I'm more indecisive about this one. Are they great reinventions of Modest Mouse classics, or has he sucked all of the life out of them? I don't know.
• Sigur Rós, Takk: This is the closest I've come to a Sigur Rós album that doesn't put me to sleep. It seems to have some nice Explosions In The Sky bits to it, but it never quite got its hooks into me.
• Serena Maneesh, Serena ManeeshThey've got the right set of influences including My Bloody Valentine and (maybe?) the Velvet underground. I just haven't been in the right mood for them. Seems quality, though. I was pretty tempted to recommend it.
• The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema: Seems like great power pop. But it (nor any of their other albums) have taken hold of me. Bonus points for having Neko Case, though.
• The Mountain Goats, I Hope We Both Die: Dan loves them. The voice takes some getting used to and I haven't felt like expending the effort. I'm sure it's good.
• Mount Eerie, No Flashlight: Listened to it once and it seemed OK, but if I want to get to know Phil Elvrum better, I'll finish the backlog of Microphones albums I've got.
• The Lucksmiths, Warmer Corners: Seems like nice pop. Molly likes 'em. Probably should give this one a chance at some point.
• Low, The Great Destroyer: Another Dan recommendation I've not gotten around to. I have the feeling this probably isn't where I should start getting to know the band anyway.
• Love Is All, Nine Times That Same SongDoes this even count as a 2005 release since printing errors pushed it back to a release this month? Either way, a couple of listens through and I can't exactly tell youw hat they're all about.
• LCD Soundsystem, LCD Soundsystem: Probably too dancy for my tastes, but to be fair I haven't given it a chance yet. "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" is a song I'd keep around, if nothing else.
• Iron & Wine, Woman King: Still putting off getting into Iron & Wine. Sorry.
• Iron & Wine/Calexico, In The Reins: Ditto.
• Hood, Outside Closer: Seemed like a nice, somewhat electronic British sort of thing that reminded me of Badly Drawn Boy in its better moments. Still, didn't ever take hold.
• Fruit Bats, Spelled in Bones: Listened to it a little before their show, but it didn't grab me. There's just too much music out there.
• Doves, Some Cities: Downloaded this with the intention of listening to it before catching them at Austin City Limits. Didn't do either.
• Coldplay, X&Y: I'm sure it's unremarkable, but I never bothered to confirm that.
• Cloud Cult, Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus: Lumped in with the Lucksmiths and the Boy Least Likely To. Seems nice. Probably needs a good listen or three.
• The Clientele, Strange Geometry
More nice British stuff that I never got to...
• Antony & The Johnsons, I Am a Bird Now: Jeff loves this but I've never gotten past the vocals.
• Archer Prewitt, WildernessAlong with Hood, this was listed on Pitchfork's Best New Music only to be mysteriously removed later. Never listened to it. Folky, I think?
• Banhart, Devandra, Cripple Crow: Devandra is supposed to be good. One of his songs came up randomly the other day and it seemed pretty good. I should probably give this one a shot.
• Bloc Party, Silent Alarm Remixed: Seemed competent, but I'll stick to the original.
• Bird, Andrew, The Mysterious Production of Eggs: Hear good things about this, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
• Bright Eyes, Digital Ash In A Digital Urn: I'm kind of indecisive about this one. Honestly, I expected more electronics. It was supposed to be his "Postal Service" album, after all. "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" is great, though.
• Bright Eyes, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning: This was supposed to be the good one. Never got into it. I feel like I should either like Bright Eyes or hate them, but I've never bothered with it long enough to form a full opinion.
• The Boy Least Likely To, The Best Party Ever: Neglected, sadly.
• British Sea Power, Open Season: Seemed nice. Probably would like it better if I knew their influences better. Also, didn't seem like a particularly high priority since I still hadn't listened to their last album all that month. Jeff loves them.
• Cat Power, The Greatest: Cat Power occupies a space similar to Bright Eyes in my mind. I just don't get it one way or the other.

Next up: the best albums of 2005, according to me.