An Accidental Guide to Blogging

I've already mentioned I’m a pretty big Michael Lewis fan. Last night (with all this ample free time in my hotel room), I finished reading his accidental guide to fatherhood, “Home Game.”


Everyone knows Michael Lewis is a fantastic writer. But these stories don’t leave you laughing out loud (well, there are a few exceptions) or reaching for the nearest Kleenex. He isn’t writing heartwarming tales of puppy dogs, sugar plums, or any other sentimental pleasantries expected to come with new fatherhood. No, he writes what (I imagine) most new fathers are thinking or experiencing after childbirth (or rather, their wife’s giving birth), i.e., mostly hijinks and shenanigans.

The stories from “Home Game” first appeared in a series of columns Lewis wrote for Slate.com a few years ago, which helps explain the flow/style (my literary analysis is so strong, I know) of the book (the “chapters” are about 5-7 pages each, and it’s not necessary to read them in sequence aka they don’t really build off each other).

All in all, I thought it was a good read, but I really think the best story of the whole book is the first one in the introduction. If you’ve got a spare 5 or 10 minutes at Barnes & Noble, you should definitely check it out (it did make me lolz).


Speaking of Lewis, has anyone else notice the recent marketing blitz for the Blind Side (I feel like every time I change the channel, I’m watching another preview on TV)?? I’m pumped about this movie because :

a) I’m a big Michael Lewis fan and this was a REALLY good book (although this film will probably only address half the subject matter of his book, and
b) The story is set in Memphis, specifically my high school’s arch rival, Briarcrest (known as Westminster in the film).

Plus Tommy T, Dr. Lou and a host of other football coaches make cameos which should lead to hilarity all on its own (Why isn’t Ed Orgeron in any of the previews???).

The previews look a little too chick flick-ish, but I’m hoping that’s just a ploy to get wives/girlfriends, etc. to see a movie about a 300+ lb offensive lineman.


Oh yeah, one last story (the World Series is still on*). A few months ago, Clay Travis was reporting on the progress of the Blind Side filming, and I sent him in a news tip from the Commercial Appeal. I actually e-mailed all our dude friends and CC:ed C’lay like we were buddies. We had a nice little e-mail chain going, and Colton said it’d be cooler to have Michael Lewis’ e-mail address, and then JD called C’lay “Randy”, and Clay ended up replying back to all us. Pretty sweet.

*Nevermind. Happy World Series, Evil Empire (Yanks)

Whole Lotta Rosie?? Next Time, I'll Pass

If you think about it, give the ole LOML a call, or drop by and see her this week. I’m out of town for work, and since we’re still under the “Room Sharing” policy, here is where I have to make most of our nightly phone calls . . . (sad face).


PS – tonight we ate dinner @ Rosie’s Mexican Cantina. I remember Mikey P. loved him some Rosie’s up in HSV, but the Florence location was just alright for me, dawg. Definitely the first time, I’ve tasted parmesan (??) in my queso dip . . .

Thanks a lot, Stupid Chase Commercial

The other night I was playing on the computer in our office, and the LOML was sitting in our nursery, reading, and she asked me to play some music on iTunes (run-on sentence alert). So I started playing some songs I thought she’d like, and then put on (rolling eyes at myself) that Five for Fighting song “100 Years” (remember that Chase credit card commercial *, where the young couple starts dating, then has kids, then grows old together?). Well, I thought I’d go into the nursery to sing for her my best falsetto version of that song (one of my biggest daily goals, is to make my dear wife laugh).


A few weeks ago, someone gave us this really sweet little outfit (yes, I know DBT says not to refer to anything as an “outfit”), and so I started to pretend our little baby girl was here. So I put the little dress in the crib, and pretend to lift her out. And I’m singing that stupid “I’m 23, for a moment” in my high voice. And then I pretend like the dress is a little 3 or 4 year old, scampering in to the nursery to see us. And then I hold the dress up a little higher, and pretend she’s a teenager, or home from college, and the song is still playing in the background, and the LOML and I are having a good ole laugh. But then, just when I’m wrapping up my dramatic interpretation of that commercial, I actually start to get a little sentimental, and have to fight off crocodile tears at how sad its gonna be for my (UNBORN) child to grow up and leave us. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!? I haven’t even met our precious little girl, and I’m already cheesing myself out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways, I end up leaving the room, before the Mrs. can see I’ve gotten a little teary, but I admitted to her last night, how I’m a big fat cheese. I'm sure it's only gonna get worse, come January . . .

* While I was looking for that “100 Years” Chase commercial on youtube, I saw this one . . . GAHLEE, CAN WE PLEASE STOP PULLING MY FATHERLY HEART STRINGS?!?!?! Seriously, somebody get me a copy of “Butterfly Kisses” or something!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. Things Kinda Got Out of Hand Last Night.

You know that scene in Heavyweights. The one where Gerald and Pat Finley lock up Tony Perkis and all the other “bad” counselors. And then all the fat campers go crazy, ordering six foot long party subs, spraying whip cream and EZ cheese all over each other, and basically having a food orgy?? Well, last night for the LSU “game” (or shellacking, AU received) we kinda had one of those nights at the TMF’H household.


It started off as just a Wing Fest. We got 40 lbs of chicken wings (we fried 20*, and froze the other 20), and were just gonna make a bunch of sauces to try. Between the six dudes (and two wives), we had ten sauces. That alone was gonna be awesome enough (here is Jay showing you the wrong way to eat a (raw) chicken wing).


But then we decided to fry up some other things. So we fried mushrooms and greek olives (I think the womenz liked these more than the dudes), and then fried mini corn dog (bites) in honor of the Bengal Tigers. Awesome right?? Totally.

Well, then someone starts sending links to the Texas State Fair, and next thing you know, I’m whipping up a dessert batter to fry up rice krispie treats, oatmeal cream pies, moon pies, oreos, and (fun size) snickers bars. The oreo and snickers were pretty sweet (pun intended), but the LOML and I both woke up this morning just wanting something leafy and green.

But you know what the worst part about last night was?? 10 wing sauces and 3 different batters leaves a lot of dirty dishes. We waited til this morning to tackle them. Not cool.


* Have you ever stood over a deep fryer while 50+ wings cook at once?? It releases a lot of steam, which is kinda like a chicken dry cleaner. It was kinda awesome, but then kinda gross to think about.

Put on your Saris, it's time to celebrate Diwali

Last night, some fellas and I went to Taj India to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights!


It was awesome.


Jay is back in the states now, and wore his kurta.

After the article in last week’s Birmingham News, Taj India was packed. We had reservations for 8 pm, but didn’t sit down until 8:30, and the line for the buffet was probably 25+ long (who knew they had a back room at Taj India???).


The eggplant dish (recipe included in article) was really good, but we were surprised they didn’t have some of their other standard dishes (Chicken Tikka Masala, Shrimp Makhni, etc.). Maybe the food they had last night was like the turkey and dressing we have during Thanksgiving?? Either way, it was tasty (well, the desserts were kinda freaky), and we left stuffed.

PS – I downloaded a new app for my iPhone a few weeks ago called The Best Camera. It’s a pretty cool photo editing app, designed by über photog celebrity, Chase Jarvis.

Nostalgia has a Playlist (REMIX)

I think if you asked any of our significant others and/or college friends during the early 2000’s, they would all say our ECS friends were obsessed with each other. And I’m not saying this was a bad thing. I mean, basically, we all just really loved high school, and loved talking about all the fun we had in high school, and all the fun we were having during college, with our high school friends.


Back in college (freshman/sophomore year, specifically), our group of high school/Memphis friends had the EZ Board (a message board). I know this sounds nerdy/cheesy, but I really think this was one of the ways we were able to stay so close, even as we went away to our respective colleges.


“Back then” we didn’t have social networking or Web 2.0, and this little corner of the internet was our pride and joy. We had our fair share of drama/controversy on the board, but over the course of 18 months, made it over 10,000 posts. Eventually, the board fizzled out and I haven’t thought about logging in (could I??) in about 5 years . . .


Long story short, I discovered the Wayback Machine last week, and eventually found my way back to the legendary ezboard!!! Hope you enjoy these old school pictures (eyes not blacked out) of the old gang (mostly from Spinny J’s birthday party @ the SDR Estate).

1372 Overton Blog

So this week saw the release of LUCERO’s major label debut, 1372 Overton Park!


I received my pre-ordered* CD last Saturday and I have to say it’s really good (what else would you have me say??). In addition to Rick Steff (?) and Todd Beene (??) “joining” the band, the boys have added a full horn section to this record, completing their slow and steady transformation into the next E. Street Band.


I wasn’t sure what I thought about “rock piano” on their last record, and I’m not sure I love the horns on all these new tracks, but "What Are You Willing to Lose?" absolutely DESTROYS with that Memphis horn-y soul!!

Last night was the Memphis record release show at the Levitt (Overton) Shell (I read this morning that something like 4,000 people attended the free show). Can’t believe it’s been almost 9 years since I was at their s/t record release show @ the Hi-Tone (I’ve been to four of their six Memphis release shows).

If you’re only looking to download a few tracks, check out “Smoke”, “What Are you Willing to Lose?”, “Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?” and “Mom” (as heard on One Tree Hill, oh double dear).

*Included in my pre-order was a pretty sweet Lucero patch . . . but I think you all know where this is going

Who Moved my Blog?

A few weeks ago while the LOML and I were babysitting (gotta keep our hustle on to stack that dolla!), I was thumbing through Frank Stitt’s Southern Table cookbook, and found this recipe for Miss Verbena’s Pimento Cheese. I’m pretty sure Frank could write a recipe for corrugated cardboard (from local farmers, of course), and it’d be tasty, but this sounded really, really good. And I’ve always thought Pimento Cheese looked/sounded kinda gross (my experience being limited to that of the grocery store variety).

Needless to say, I’ve been itching to make this Pimento Cheese since. This is a pretty easy recipe, and I used it in an omelet this morning. I’m really looking forward to making some grilled Pimento Cheese sandwiches later this week.


Miss Verbena’s Pimento Cheese (adapted from Frank Stitt)
1 lb grated sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ lb cream cheese (softened)
½ C mayonnaise (I used Duke’s Light)
1 red pepper, roasted, skinned, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tsp white pepper (I used black)
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp Sriracha (substituted for dash of Tabasco and (optional) 1/8 tsp cayenne)

The directions are easy: combine and refrigerate.


Note: I used a combination of Mammoth and Black Wax cheddar cheese from Whole Foods. I’m not really sure why I picked those, but the black wax looked pretty sweet. Frank’s recipe calls for THREE roasted red peppers, but I thought that sounded (and looked) pretty excessive. I roasted three, chopped one, and thought that was plenty. Also, we’re out of Tabasco, so I used Sriracha instead. If we swing by Publix this week, I might add some more to this batch.

PS – On a sad foodie note, Gourmet magazine announced today it’s shutting down its monthly publication. Another sad loss for the print media industry . . .

Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone

Stephen and I went to see the Walkmen play Tuesday night at Bottletree. I’m not super-familiar with all their music, but I do remember when they were on the O.C. And I really like that song “the Rat” (some may say is one of the Top 20 songs of the Decade ).

I’m gonna go ahead and call that (opening act) Here We Go Magic will be the indie blog-darlings of 2010 (they just signed to Secretly Canadian). Daniel, write that down.

And here is that Saturn (R.I.P.) commercial you may remember from the early 2000’s.

Grab Your Bag, and Grab Your Coat

The Avett Brothers are performing on Dave Letterman tonight and releasing their new record, I and Love and You, tomorrow (9/29).


I’m pumped and have already listened to the entire thing 30+ times the last week over at NPR. It’s really good. I also want to be the first to point out the Jackson Browne & Randy Newman influences (Rick Rubin, you sly dog, you!!)

Don’t call what you’re wearing an Outfit

I was folding laundry the other day and realized something . . . I can’t wear that anymore.


This realization wasn’t easy. I guess I’ve been fighting this (losing) battle since I graduated college. I’m sure everyone goes through this stage, where they think they’re still as young and rockin’ as they were in their (early) twenties.

But I’m (almost) 28 years old. I’m a CPA. I enjoy college football. I’m expecting my first child in January. I’ve come to realize recently that a lot of the things I used to wear are not socially acceptable in my current state of affairs.

No one wants to see a (slightly) over-weight aging-hipster (?) wearing an Against Me! t-shirt to the grocery store. Those whipper-snapper kids don’t think I’m cool. I know I’m out of step with the style. I know I don’t know where the actions happening. I know the downtown club scene ain't nothing like it used to be.

I guess this shirt has always been a stretch for me (no pun intended. Yes, I know it’s snug). I’m a social conservative. I don’t have mutual distaste for everything else. I got this at an AM! show in early 2004 (Cave 9). I felt pretty old at that concert, and I know those kids would think I’m a NARC today.

So now, I’ve basically got a bunch of t-shirts that I can only get away with (?) wearing if I’m working out (taking the dog for a walk) or working in the yard.

Maybe I’ll turn this into a recurring feature of TMF’H? I had grandiose dreams of writing a book based on this discovery (Daniel, where are you??), while browsing the humour section of Barnes & Noble a few weeks back.

PS - the LOML and I got our BABY FURTNITURE in this weekend!!!!!!!1! I’m not afraid to say, we have one good looking crib (last shred of street cred falls to the floor) . . .

Hey Mama

Before I post anything, I have to make a HUGE DISCLAIMER:

The LOML is completely against having pregnant “baby bump” pictures of herself taken, and did NOT want this picture broadcast all over the internet/facebook. I’ve been saying the last few weeks that we really needed to take some pictures (since she’s starting to show), but every weekend seemed to come and go, without us “finding time” to take a picture.

SO, you’ll have to imagine the HUGE SMILE on her face while we took this picture yesterday. In case you hadn’t heard, we are having a GIRL and she looks to be arriving January 17th, 2010!!! Just so there won’t be any confusion, we’re thinking of referring to her as the LOOL (Love of our Life) or SBG (Sweet Baby Girl) on the blog. My dear wife will still be referred to as the Mrs. or the LOML (Love of my Life).

Spanish for "Really Wordy"

So a couple weeks ago, the LOML and I went to a Topless Party at Andrew & Kelly’s (aka a Tapas party). They had an OUTSTANDING (I feel so Rick & Bubba typing that) spread of “small bites”, and I’m hoping we can get some more topless parties going in Bham this fall (apparently, they were the jam at S. Alabama Med School).

I made these Chicken & Chorizo BBQ Rolls (I started to write “bites” but that sounded a little too girly) and thought they turned out pretty good. I wasn’t really sure what to bring, so I just Googled Tapas and kind of combined these two recipes.

TMF’H Chicken & Chorizo BBQ Rolls
1 Tbs vegetable oil
½ lb Chorizo (I used Mexican Chorizo)
1 lb Chicken, cut into small pieces
1/2 C chopped Onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt/Pepper
1 C sweet BBQ sauce
1 Tbs chopped Parsley
½ C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
2 sheets Puff Pastry
2 eggs, beaten (with a splash of milk)

First, preheat the oven to 400, and set out the puff pastry to thaw (if frozen). Once I started cooking, I realized that phyllo dough and puff pastry sheets are NOT the same thing (I probably would have realized that had I actually got my hands on some phyllo dough, but I think puff pastry actually worked better for this recipe).

Over medium heat, add the oil to a sauté pan, and cook the chicken for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, set the chicken aside, and add the chorizo, sautéing until cooked through (this will render a lot of oil/fat), maybe 5 minutes. In a separate pan, I sautéed the onions on med/low heat until tender/translucent (I was going to let them caramelize, but didn’t have enough time/patience). After cooked through, I added the garlic and cooked a few minutes longer.
Is there anything better than the smell of chorizo frying up?? I used Mexican chorizo, which was closer to ground beef (in consistency), than Spanish (closer to sausage). Since the chorizo was hella oily, I poured off a good bit before adding the chicken back to the pan.

Earlier this summer, my grandparents brought us some Willingham’s Championship BBQ sauce (Sweet & Sassy and Cajun Hot) after seeing the rest of my (immediate) family at MIM. This sauce is REALLY good, and I’d put it up against anything you’d find in your grocery store. High quality stuff and both flavors definitely have a KICK. After the meat and onion/garlic finish cooking, I combined the (Willingham’s) BBQ sauce, parsley, salt/pepper and cheese and simmered for another minute. After simmering, remove from the heat and cool the mixture completely (I threw it in the freezer for 15 minutes).
While the mixture is cooling, roll out the puff pastry, and cut into thirds (it should already be folded into thirds). When the filling has cooled, spoon down the center of each piece of puff pastry, “crimp” the edges together and place the rolls on the baking pan (seam side down). Finally, cut the rolls into small pieces, spread apart on a baking sheet, and brush with egg mixture. (I should have) lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, but I just placed the rolls on the non-stick pan.

Bake these rolls for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350, and cook for another 15 minutes (or until puffed and golden). Finally, once out of the oven, let them cool slightly and BOOM goes the topless dynamite!
PS – I know I switched back and forth between imperative and declarative sentences on this recipe. Hope this doesn’t drive y’all (ones of readers) crazy.

Pacing the Panic Room (where's Dwight Yoakam?)

Ever since finding out the LOML and I were pregnant (well, she’s pregnant, but we’re both going to be parents), I’ve discovered there is a whole new world of Parenting/Daddy blogs* out there on the internet. They run the gamut from traditional parenting tips to the hipster/alterna-dad (sometimes, a little over the top), but one blog I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last 5 months is Pacing the Panic Room. Ryan (author or PtPR) found a good bit of “internet fame" this year as the photographer behind his pregnant wife’s “American Apparel” inspired maternity series, but has kept his readers with REALLY good writing (and interesting topics) since the birth of his daughter, Tessa Tangerine.


A few weeks back, he posted about his wife and his decision to go with non-disposable cloth diapers (Fuzzi Bunz to be exact) for their new baby girl. Much like Ryan, the thought of washing dirty diapers with your laundry makes me gag, but he had a lot of interesting stats/information and I found myself e-mailing the link to the Mrs. with a whaddya think??

Well, today he has posted a contest to give away some Fuzzi Bunz diapers (Ryan himself traded his photography skills for a sweet bounty of Fuzzi Bunz, and now wants to share the wealth). He’s going to pick a winner this Monday (by random number generator), so cross your fingers that we could be one (?) of the lucky winners!!

* Speaking of parenting blogs, you should totally check out WhattheMom.com . . . my nieces/nephews are hilarious/awesome!

Five more minutes, Mom

After Busy Season, my firm has a really great summer perk with Every Other Friday Off (EOFO). It’s actually an Every Other 4 Day Work Week (we end up working 80 hrs over two weeks), but EO4DWW just doesn’t have the same acro-ring to it.

A couple Friday’s ago, on my 2nd to last EOFO, I decided to check out Penzeys Spices. WHAT?!?! You’ve never been or heard of Penzeys Spices??? The only reason I had, is my Mom and sis had mentioned it to me in Memphis, but I didn’t realize there was one in Bham, literally 5 minutes away from our house!!!! The great thing about Penzey’s is you can buy a little or a lot of fresh, exotic spices for a reasonable price. Here’s what I picked up:

Ever since hitting up Silver Coin and Taj India, I’ve been looking for a good (i.e., quick and easy) Indian Recipe web-site. Quick Indian Cooking is a very well organized site with recipes that are easy to follow* (and also categorized for Indian cooking novices like myself). A few Sunday’s ago, the LOML went to see the Jonas Bros. with her sister and nephews, so what did I do on my night of Bachelorhood??? Put on some Mastodon and Lil Wayne and cook me some INDIAN FOOD!!!!

I thought I would start my Indian culinary adventures with the Simplest Chicken Curry. Here's what I needed:

6 skinless chicken thighs (bone in)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 and a half inch stick of ginger
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
½ tsp garam masala
2 T oil
Pinch of sugar

The first thing I did was “blitz” the onion, ginger, and garlic in a food processor. How much ginger is in a 1.5 in stick of ginger?? I didn’t want to over-ginger this dish, so I gave it my best guess (maybe 2 T “blitzed”). Also, I’m not really sure what Mallika meant by a “pinch” of sugar (I think I used about a tsp).

After my sugar (kinda) caramelized in a non-stick pot (trusty Le Creuset), I added the onion mixture, and OH MAN, THAT’S A LOT OF ONION!! I cooked it on high heat until it started to change color (I dunno, maybe 10 minutes). I was starting to freak out, b/c I had one hot Le Creuset, and the onion mixture wasn’t turning, but we made it through alright. Next, came the turmeric and chilli powder, and five more minutes of high heat. Then came the chopped tomatoes, and yet another five minutes of high heat (!!!). Alright, after all that, I finally could put it on simmer!

I was supposed to be looking for little holes of oil to appear, and that meant, yep, 5 more minutes, until I could add the chicken! I stirred the chicken “vigorously”, and . . . after five minutes, added a little water to cover the chicken, lowered the heat, and stirred from time to time until done.

I think I cooked the chicken for 30 minutes or so. One thing that tricked me with the chicken thighs was the dark meat. I thought I was seeing “under done” chicken, but it was really just dark meat. Oh well, I don’t the extra time hurt. After everything had finished cooking, I stirred in the garam masala**, and BOOM, it’s Darjeeling Limited time!!! (I didn’t have any coriander leaves to garnish).


I don’t think there’s a proper way to eat chicken thigh meat off the bone. You just have to lean over your plate and start picking. This is how I knew this was one authentic dish. No Miss Manners here. Just tasty Indian cuisine, like Gandhi used to make.

Oh yeah, I had the leftovers 2 days later, and dare I say, they were tastier than the original?? Definitely tender.

* As you can see by my griping, I do think this website could do a better job with measurements and cooking times. I was able to feel myself through this recipe, but it may be a little intimidating to other culinerds (did I just make up a term????).

** I also entertained the idea of making my own garam masala from scratch, but after weighing the cost/benefit, decided to get the pre-made stuff for $3.