Queenkv’s Brainpickings

OK — this is a new thing I’m trying out. I kicked started the daily blog feature on my del.icio.us account. That means all the links I’ve bookmarked for the day will be posted around 10:00 PM, nightly. I thought it was kinda neat to have that coincide with my newscast. Basically, these are links to stories and blogs that have caught my eye and make me wonder…about stuff.

We’ll see how this works out.

• Deep-fried is the new Coke - Slashfood
  “Abel Gonzales Jr. flavors his batter with Coca-Cola, deep fries it, drizzles Coke fountain syrup on it, then tops it all off with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry.”
  (tags: food coke deep-fried Texas fair)
• KQED Food Blog: Bay Area Bites: Voodoo and the Top Pot: Doughnuts Galore
  “It’s only natural that a city obsessive about its coffee would develop a gourmet doughnut chain.”
  (tags: food Seattle doughnuts)
• u m a m i: Grab the Sardines!
  “In the movie, the camera follows Sophia as she dipped butterflied fresh sardines into egg and flour, the following shots are of eager hands grabbing the sardines from the platter. Another platter appeared, and the sardines were devoured just as quickly.”
  (tags: food sardines France)
• Chocolate & Zucchini: Coquillettes au Comté et Pousses d’Epinard
  “This effortless pasta dish is one of my standbys. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is a variation on a dish I ate as a child: for a slightly more grown-up flavor, I now add shredded baby spinach leaves, which soften in the arms of the pasta, and a dash of fresh nutmeg”
  (tags: food Recipes pasta macaroni cooking cheese France)
• Bussin’ Around : The LuckyBlog
  “For several months now, I’ve been taking the bus to work at least once a week. For those of you who live in/around Los Angeles, you’re probably thinking I’m crazy right now. Give up the freedom of driving my very own car and use public transportation”
  (tags: LosAngeles California driving bus)
• The Shadow Government by They Might Be Giants | Laughing Squid
  ““The Shadow Governmentâ€? is the latest music video by They Might Be Giants, from their latest album “The Elseâ€?. It was animated by the Los Angeles production studio Colourmovie and premiered this week on Spinner.”
  (tags: music TMBG video)
• Lemon Juice & Olive Oil: Mamajuana
  “(not to be confused with the other Ma__juana!)The drink burned like a stiff martini, but had a complex flavor heavily influenced with rum and honey.”
  (tags: food alcohol NewYork)

CLINTON LAKE — I’m sitting inside the media tent…waiting for the content management sites to load-up. Funny how my blog is faster than the work sites. The Wakarusa Music Festival has been fun so far. We caught Lotus at the Sun Stage and I had some yummy Indian veggie curry for lunch.

But the technology is slowing me down. Mark’s out in the sun…chilling with New Belgium beer. And I’m stuck in the alcohol-free media tent - playing musical chairs with the wi-fi access point. Grrr…

In sickness and in health, Mark and I trudged through these last few weeks of a nasty little virus I picked up at work. We’re still trying to figure out who was Patient Zero in the newsroom. Outside of work, we took it easy - pampering each other and making sure we ate regular meals. Sometimes I lose my appetite when I’m sick. Great for the waistline but terrible for the immune system.

We’re still getting some violent storms in this part of Kansas, but the weather is warming up and I’m looking forward to summer. This morning, I took my first run on Shunga Trail — since the floods swept through Topeka. It felt wonderful - pounding one foot in front of the other and watching the area heal from the flood damage.

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Last week after my show, Mark surprised me with these fresh bake chocolate chip cookies. Yummy! Thank heavens one of us knows how to bake desserts.

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This weekend was packed with live music and good food. This is a tasty beef brisket sandwich from the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival at Harley Town. Fun and smooth jazz music with tasty bbq flavors. Good times.

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Yesterday, we headed out to Truckhenge for a free music concert, protesting he who shall not be named on this blog. The owner of Truckhenge constructed a series of trucks-sticking-out-of-the-ground installations to promote recycling, a political agenda of sorts and to bring Stonehenge to the Topeka-area. Neato. The owner also invited folks who were drinking-up a storm at the Music Phestival to camp-out….instead of driving home drunk. That was quite nice of him.

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Biteboy drove all the way from Florida to headline the 3-day Phestival. Our camping chairs came in handy for the concert held in a dirt pit. Interesting live indie rock music with their hearts in the right place…but bugs kept eating us alive.

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Since we forgot to BYOB to the Phestival…we headed over to Varsity Blues for some tasty pub food and beer. These fried mushrooms helped soak up the alcohol.

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And this morning, we did lunch at Germanfest. Yummy. These are noodles and meatballs in a sage cream sauce. I enjoyed the home-cooked German food — all going towards fundraising for the area parishes. We also rocked out to a sweet sounding Drumline and cheered on kids smashing-up a car at the Car Smashing event. Good times.

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Less than 24-hours until my B-Day. Oh yeah.

I told Mark I’m torn between keeping it low key. I’m tempted to say let’s not make a big deal since I’m turning 29. When I was a teenager, 29 was old. Now that I’m 28.9-years-old, it seems daunting. I’m entering the beginning of the end of my 20’s and the end of young adulthood.

It kinda sucks.

Then again, the little party girl in me is screaming to have a good time. She wants to see a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk. She wants to blow out candles and drink sweet wine. OK - she’s willing to drink any alcohol, as long as everyone’s enjoying themselves.

’round midnight, we’ll see who wins…

One Lawrence blog posted a YouTube movie of Don Hertzfeldt’s “Rejected.” That just made my day! I heart Hertzfeldt after watching his pieces in Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animated Festival - back in Berkeley. Good Times.

I was a little late for mass this morning because my baby needed some cuddling. Daisy’s a needy puppy sometimes. But I’m made it in time for the second reading and the Gospel. This morning, Father’s Tom’s talked about being a Good Shepherd. Then he gave a shout out to male students from Hayden High and asked them to consider answering vocations. Some boys in front of me responded with a thumbs up at the podium.

Father Tom also compared God and faith to one of the most dramatic scenes from Titanic…the part when Jack and Rose are sinking with that huge ship and he makes her promise to “never let go.” OK, it’s cheesy but still a sweet thought. I also liked how Father Tom used that scene to illustrate the different types of relationships people have as they grow-up; from children hanging on to their parents for survival to adults holding on to spouse or a friend for the ups and downs of daily life.

I’m a little lonely in Kansas, especially with Mark in the Bay Area for work. But thanks to e-mail, cell phones and my blogs, I still feel like I can lean on my relationships with my family and friends. Yesterday, I was able to chat to my parents. We compared warm weather in Cali and Topeka and dished on how my brother’s family was gearing up for my niece’s singing recital, later that evening. Good times. Then Mark sent me a beautiful picture of the Golden Gate Bridge to my cell phone. They’re about 2000 miles away, but I still feel like I’m included in their lives.

I also have tendency of holding on to good memories, so let’s take a look back at my rockin’ trip to Vegas.

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I got my fill of some good home cooking!

My dad and Tita Chita whipped up some yummy Filipino food. It’s always a pleasure to dig into food I grew up with: pansit, adobo, rice, ribs and more.

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Then the cork broke inside a bottle of cheap red wine. So Mark came up with the idea of using a coffee filter to save what’s left of the alcohol. My hubby is so smart!

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The next day, we had dinner at Hyakumi inside Caesar’s Palace. It’s located across from Cleopatra’s Barge. This sashimi platter had some amazingly fresh pieces of fish - tuna, salmon, yellow tail and more. I also ordered up a side of a toro roll - the fatty part of the tuna. It tasted buttery and smooth. Our server was a sweet Filipina who recognized my dad from earlier visits. Despite carding me, she took care of all our culinary needs.

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My dad got us tickets to see The Producers at Paris. A thoroughly entertaining show starring David Hasseloff as the cross-dressing director. The former Knight Rider knows how to sing and he made a hell of an entrance in that sparkling black and silver dress. I hope for his sake he wasn’t wearing heels for that scene. The men who played Leo and Max were from London’s West End production. The original movie with Gene Wilder is still my favorite version, but I warmed up to the latest incarnation of the show. Since Springtime for Hitler was made for Broadway, it was a pleasure to watch the outrageous costumes, songs and dances on the Vegas stage.

Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Watch out, Europe
We’re going on tour!

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Our show tickets gave us a two-for-one drink special at Napoleon’s. These dueling piano players took requests for any rock ‘n’ roll song, as long you were willing to tip often. And at times, they’d avoid doing a song if you were willing to tip more. Folks were having a good time and they played a bawdy tune for a birthday girl. We requested “November Rain”, by Gun and Roses. They took one look at our request, played some snipit of another November Rain song and said it was a bad idea. Grrr….I was annoyed they couldn’t even make fun of the right Guns and Roses song. So, yeah.

Still, we had a blast in Vegas…we always do.

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Happy Mardi Gras!
In Kansas - I have 3 hours and 30 minutes to eat meat and drink alcohol. That’s because at the stroke of midnight, Ash Wednesday begins.

This week, 50-degree weather and plenty of sunshine melted winter in Topeka.

Today, it felt pleasant to walk Daisy in our backyard. I’m happy she didn’t find any mud puddles to investigate. I don’t think our cozy apartment could withstand a puppy bath. Right now, Daisy is snoring on my blue chair from Cost Plus at Jack London Square.

Daisy misses Mark. Sometimes she’d run to the bedroom and sit by the door, waiting for him to come out. Other times, she would sit on the bottom ledge of his desk, waiting to place her puppy chin on his knee.

We got a late start to the weekend. We spent Friday night toasting one of my co-workers who’s moving on to bigger and better things. The farewell party involved lots of people, alcohol and dancing. It was the first time I went dancing in a while. Granted, it was in somebody’s living room and the music was tuned to the greatest hits channel from Digital Cable. Still, it was dancing and I had fun boogieing with co-workers and new people.

We didn’t get home until 4:00 AM. I remember taking Daisy out to do her business and that’s about it. Mark said I passed out and he had to put me to bed.

What a good hubby! I’d do the same for him.

After waking up with a little hangover, we slowly started up our Saturday morning with homemade french toast and bacon.

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My honey is brilliant when it comes to breakfast. So he took whipped up the tasty French Toast. He had a batter of eggs, cinnamon and milk…I think. He coated sourdough bread slices with the batter and fried them up over the stove. I took care of the coffee and bacon. The apartment was covered in bacon smoke for a bit. Thankfully, I didn’t burn too many slices.

It was a yummy breakfast and it helped us recover from the heavy night of drinking.

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Since I’m still on my graveyard shifts, I’ll be asleep for most of Feb. 14. So we did our official Valentine dinner at Cafe Beautiful in Lawrence. It was the perfect opposite to our last night of partying. At Cafe Beautiful, Chef Sukken was the perfect host. We had a balcony-side room all to ourselves. Fresh fish, artistic plating and an open-invitation to linger hours over our romantic meal. By far, the best sushi I’ve had in Kansas.

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Chef Sukken carved out these sashimi pieces into rose shapes. We had albacore, salmon and yellowtail. Each bite tasted succulent and buttery. The meals at Cafe Beautiful come prix fixe, Chef’s choice. So, it was unique dining experience. Our other entrees included a hearty miso soup with mussels, rice balls, tofu, mushrooms and seaweed. Our appetizer was freshwater eel, rice cakes, blueberries and kiwi. I was surprised how the sweet fruit complimented the bbq cream sauce. And to clear our palates between courses, we had a lovely cabbage salad with a tangy sesame vinaigrette.

We started everything off with spicy wasabi peas and a sweet walnut cake. He also topped off our tea cups with a plum tea - a sweet note to tease our appetites.

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I had to slow down when it came to our sushi platter. I was filling up after the other courses. Still, more fresh fish was welcome to my tummy. We had salmon, albacore, freshwater eel and yellowtail, accented with avocado and Japanese caviar. As I said before, the best sushi I’ve had in Kansas. Cafe Beautiful probably rivals some sushi spots I’ve tasted in California as well. Now, this place is BYOA: Bring Your Own Alcohol. We brought along a Schmitt Sohne Riesling Spatlese. The sweet white wine was a perfect match with our beautiful Japanese meal. The sweetness complimented the fresh fish and the other savory, tangy and succulent flavors of our meal.

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We left a few grateful notes inside the cafe’s red guest book. I read several other guests had similar experiences. This place is quite nice for special occasions; anniversaries, birthdays and more. It was like having a gourmet dinner inside somebody’s quirky cool loft. I stumbled upon Cafe Beautiful after our trip to the Hookah Bar. Most people miss it as they’re going down Mass. Street. You’ll find the door next to the Vermont BBQ and they’re both located on top of the second floor of that block of stores. Cafe Beautiful is open every night, but I’m pretty sure reservations are mandatory. Chef Sukken told us he only serves four tables a night. I think that keeps everyone’s dining experience intimate and special.

It was a lovely way to spend our Valentine weekend.

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Graveyard shifts and airplane travel helped break down my immune system earlier this month. I’m sure the plane was filled with germs from dirty children.

I ended up with a horrible sore throat and I lost my voice.

One person at worked asked, “Do you really need to talk to do your job?”

She was lucky I was feeling sick.

originally uploaded by queenkv.

I survived on cough drops and as much sleep as I can pack into my truncated days.

This hot toddy helped me sleep peacefully. The honey felt soothing on throat and the alcohol made everything blissful for a little period of time.

Queenkv’s Hot Toddy

[but you could use any vanilla-flavor tea. And if you don't care about falling asleep, it can be caffeinated.]

[If you're on a budget, Jim Bean's works. I like the sweet smooth flavor of the Irish stuff.]

Mix hot water and the tea bag in a cup. Add a few shots of Jamesons (can be modified for your alcoholic preferences.) Mix in the honey. If you have lemon, add a squirt of lemon juice for some Vitamin C. Just before drinking, I also like eating a spoonful of honey. So good.

Enjoy. Let the healing begin.

Family, food and good times. I had a blast on this vacation to NY. When I told folks I was heading to upstate New York….one co-worker from NYC asked, “Why?” Screw him. I like the Big Apple - city lights, amazing food and that urban energy. But there’s also plenty to love about the place where Mark grew up. We skipped over to Canada. Checked out one of the most amazing feats of human engineering at Niagara Falls. Farmland, sunflowers and of course, the pleasure of hanging out with family.

Back at the campsite at the Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville …the kids swooped in for some cake.

It was a very tasty cake. OK…like I said before, it was raining. On top of that, I didn’t want to lug our camping gear on the plane. So, Mark’s cousin Sue said we could spend that night at her place. Which was totally a blessing since it was quite wet out there. Terri made Pink Panties, a frozen blend of alcohol, whip cream and juice. We checked out pictures on Kaine’s laptop. We also played a rousing game of foosball. Despite the fact I interviewed the author behind Zen and the Art of Foosball - I still lost at table soccer. Then Mark and Kaine hooked up a PS2 and disappered into a fantasy world of professional sports…NFL, MLB and more. We drove back to Buffalo the next day. We did dinner at Tom and Carlene’s place. I got Devon to teach me some Irish soft-shoe dancing. That was a little complicated in jeans, but I think I was able to follow along. Then I taught her some tango moves.

Here’s where Terri works. She said Mark grandfather used to work here during WWII….when it was a weapons manufacturing plant. I’m always intrigued by the intersection of industry and agriculture in this part of New York. I went into those thoughts a little more in a travel log I filed for my old news magazine.

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Today….Topeka weather inched up to the 70s. this weekend was my first one without a heavy jacket. That felt lovely. I had the windows open and I tried out the air conditioner.

Warm weather reminded me of slower days…lounging on the beach with coronas and yummy Mexican food. Damn, I miss our honeymoon in Ixtapa and Zihua! I used to think I would go a bit bonkers with my laid-back lifestyle…no job, no prospects and my own paraonia eating away at my self-confidence. I knew I was supposed to enjoy paradise. I had a blast on our first vacation as man and wife. Oddly enough, I also discovered a lead a producing gig in Topeka - thanks to popping into web cafes in Ixtapa when Mark was sick. And now…my life has sped-up…work keeping me so busy that I barely have enough time to keep in touch with family and friends.

As for this yummy meal - this is the remains of my Coco Loco - a delightful alcohol mix served in a coconut shell. The white stuff is the coconut meat carved out of the shell. After my first bite - this became part of my beach lounging routine.

Ah…and then we have tirista - a local dish composed of slivers of raw fish marinated in lime juice, onions and chilis. In Mexico - I couldn’t go wrong with fish. I miss that smoky flavor of the fish offset by the citrus and chili. Damn. I miss Mexico!