"And the Award Goes To..."

I tip my hat to Brian Scaglia and his creativity. This guy is off the hook. His video and photography work is climbing to new levels. MODmom played this video of their halloween night for me this morning and I had to post on it. I love how he tells an entire story in 2 minutes 17 seconds. He is so bloody talented, I cannot wait to see what he produces next.

Keep it up Brian...

Scaglia Halloween from Brian Scaglia on Vimeo.

You Never Know...

I am always surprised with who I get to meet. This last week I had the privilege to meet Andrew Gaskins. A local composer who has done some movie work. This is their award winning short "Quillions". Look for them again at the Starz Denver Film Festival.

Quillions from Alan Dague-Greene on Vimeo.

Someday, maybe I will get out our home video camera and using my iMovie make my own short...

Happy Halloween

Big props go out to Cabri Ole for the post on artist James Hopkins and finding this picture.

Be safe out there.

Change Is Good

Those of you who actually follow this blog may think that I am periodically kidnapped. That is unless you count the MODgirls as felons (in that case,I am gratefully apprehended).

So, it is a time for change. Since the company has prevented me from spending a lot of time in the kitchen, I am changing the format of my blog. I am going to mix my passion for cooking with my passion for all things design.

That being said...

Since we are believers and love great design, I have to give a big shout-out to Ragamuffin Soul for the tip on one of the coolest churches you will ever see. This is a church in Chile...

I have to agree, this calls me to worship.

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb?

If the saying has any validity whatsoever, we will have a quiet spring. Here in Denver winter came yesterday... all of a sudden.

It was a fine 64 degree fall day on Friday and then winter hit and was 20 degrees yesterday with snow all day.

On a day when it is colder than a school teachers heart (it is 25 degrees F today), I am in the mood for low and slow baby, (I know, it is a very cheezy saying, but I am very cheezy).

My reaction???

Chile Rojo con Carne y Papas

Red Chile with Steak and Potatoes

With a wink and a nod to Rick Bayless, and his book 'Mexican Everyday', I made this recipe to warm the cockles of the MODsquad girls souls.

Recipe:

2 lbs Stew meat

Olive Oil (I refuse to use the term "EVOO" - don't want to be a Rachel Ray wannabe)

Salt

1 T Flour

1 Medium Onion Minced

3 Garlic Cloves smashed and diced

2 T Chile Powder

1 1/2 tsp Chipotle Chile Powder

1 1/2 Cups Beef Broth

2 Tomatoes, diced

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/4 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Sugar

3 Medium Potatoes diced

Season beef cubes with salt and brown in a very hot pan with the Olive Oil (see, I didn't say it), leaving the cubes rare inside. Scoop out meat and put in slow cooker. Add a glug of oil and add the onion cooking until golden but still has some crisp to it. Place that in slow cooker.

Add another slug of oil along with the flour, garlic and chile powders cook for one minute stirring constantly so as not to burn the spices, add broth. Simmer stirring occasionally until thickened a bit. Taste and season with salt if needed. If bitter add a tsp of sugar. Add sauce to slow cooker.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, the oregano and cumin. Turn cooker on high until simmering heavy, let simmer for one hour and then turn heat down to low. Let this baby bubble away all day. You may need to add more broth to thin occasionally.

Be very careful of this recipe, the smell alone will drive a nun to cuss. It is one of the most aromatic stews you will experience.

Plate in shallow bowls, add good Mexican cheese like Queso Anejo or Fresco, sprinkle with chives or spring onions and give in to gluttony (resistance is futile). I would pair this with a fine beverage like Modelo Negro in a frosty Pilsner glass.

After feasting, turn on the tele, watch sport of choice and nap like a cheshire cat.

Looks Are Deceiving

Geeeeze. This is my first attempt at homemade fondant for my oldest daughters "Little Orphan Annie" birthday cake. Now you look at it and say, "where is the bloody fondant?". Well... as I said in my last cake post, if you see icing on the cake...

The fondant is actually there, under the icing. Me thinks I made a mistake in my consistency. Saturday was the party so I was going to be fully prepared. I baked the cake and made the fondant on Wednesday, stacked the cake on Thursday and rolled out the fondant on Friday. That is where the wheels came off. I struggled to get the fondant to smooth out on the cake without ripping and I finally got it to stay on the cake. Let's just say that I wanted it to be as smooth as Kojack's head and it ended up looking like my complexion in the 9th grade (yes, that bad). So late in the evening I was scrambling to the store for white buttermilk frosting and lots of food color.

I wish the story ended there, as we cut the cake at my daughters party, I noticed people smiling politely, forcing down a bite or two and then hiding the rest of their cake wherever the nearest hole was. Picture 4 pounds of sugar, imitation strawberry flavoring and 3 pounds of shortening roughly shaped into a round flat object. With the preservatives in that concoction I expect to see pieces of the cake crammed into the pavilion of the park five years from now, maybe I should look into using this as a building material for some of the homes I build.

I might have been better off using mud from the garden...

Birthday Cakes (HMMMM...)

Just a quick hitter for you tonight.

The end of August was my daughter Roxy's 2nd birthday. So what does a 2 year old want for a cake???? You guessed it, Elmo! That furry red alien has endeared itself to kids heart in a way that Alf could only dream.

So this was my ode to Elmo. A bit on the crude side but it got the point across. The recipe you say? Two boxes Betty Crocker cake mix, 3 cans Betty Crocker icing (this was after a very sad attempt at cake from scratch). Hey, I may have worked at D Bar but Chef Gerhardt I am not.

Next, Luxe's birthday cake with homemade fondant... (I hope).