Song of the Week: Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

Quote of the Week: Polar Bears and Mangoes

Hurley: Did either of you see a bald guy with slippers carrying a coconut come through here?


Charlie: No, but I did see a polar bear on roller skates with a mango.

Song of the Week: Schnitzled in the Negev

Quote of the Week: Apple Butter Toast

"We ordered out for mindless dribble,
Overused, half wit, ishkabibble,
Corner store junkies giving advice,
We ordered out for paradise.

Apple butter toast is nice,
Envisioned on a third wind twice, 
My fine breaded friend was denied by the vice,
And they missed the perfume."

--Disco Biscuits, "Mindless Dribble"

Thought for Food: Chocolate Air, Denny's, and Bacon Cologne

"I always try to eat locally, in that if something is within arm's reach I jam it in my mouth."

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Thought for Food - Chocolate Air, Denny's & Bacon Cologne
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Eh, Put It on the Pizza

Sometimes you just need pizza. It's one of the greatest comfort foods of all time. Who doesn't love pizza? Seriously--having a party? Can't go wrong with pizza. Want to relax on the weekend and order in? Just pick up the phone and have pizza delivered to your door. Need all the essential food groups in one bite? Pizza!

But as convenient as it is to order in pizza, it's also a great food to prepare with friends. The other night I met up with a good friend to make pizza, sip on red wine, enjoy some music, and even watch a late-night home viewing of Romeo + Juliet. 

We started off with pizza dough from a local New Jersey bakery. If we were up for it we could have made it from scratch, but instead this dough served as a delicious and convenient alternative. After struggling with rolling out the dough for some time (we have issues), we began to prepare the toppings. Rather than using tomato sauce we loaded the pizza up with pesto, adding a thick layer of basily goodness to the dough. Next we topped it with lots of shredded mozzarella cheese, followed by sliced baby bella mushrooms, romano cheese and basil Italian sausage, and caramelized onions. 

After twenty minutes in the oven our golden-brown pizza was ready to be devoured. The flavors were delicious and even more satisfying knowing that we'd made it ourselves and each collaborated to the masterpiece. There are so many options for pizza toppings, but I have to say that our combination of pesto, sausage, mushrooms, and onions was pretty killer.
 

Speaking of communal cooking experiences with pizza, you may want to check out this demented video. If you like watching disturbing videos that you wish you could turn away from but simply can't because they are so weird that they hold your gaze for far too long (i.e., Jersey Shore) then feast your eyes upon this slowed-down version of a Olsen Twins' song "Gimme Pizza." Simply bizarre.

Song of the Week: Caramel Prisoner

Quote of the Week: A Self-Contained Universe

"A bowl of ramen is a self-contained universe, with life from the sea, the mountains, and the earth. All existing in perfect harmony. Harmony is essential. What holds it all together is the broth. The broth gives life to the ramen."

--Maezumi, Ramen Girl

Becky's Diner

Are you looking for the best blueberry pancakes ever? Then you need to head to Becky's Diner in Portland, Maine. Located at 390 Commercial Street, Becky's is serving up some serious, out-of-this-world blueberry pancakes. 

Basically that's all that I have to say. These pancakes are simply ridiculous. When they arrive, you think, oh these pancakes look pretty good. But then you look on the underside of the pancake and realize it's exploding with delightful, delicious Maine blueberries. Be sure to ask for real maple syrup to have a truly amazing pancake experience.

My other advice for Becky's is that if you want sausage, be sure to order the Italian sausage instead of regular sausage links. There's nothing like a nice piece of meat in the morning, and the regular sausage just doesn't compare to the Italian. It also tastes particularly good when doused in some of that real maple syrup.

Unfortunately I have no photos of my Becky's Diner breakfast, so you'll just have to trust me. Go to Becky's Diner. Eat blueberry pancakes. Be happy.

Quote of the Week: Cool Glass of Water

"The starting point, that first delight, the dot, could be anything in your experience. Suppose you are very thirsty, and you are presented with a glass of ice water. The first thought, or the dot, occurs when you hold the glass of ice water and you are about to drink, knowing that it is the real thing and it will quench your thirst. Then, holding the glass in your hand, you bring your arm close to your mouth, you bend your neck, you raise the glass, and you begin to drink. Having the idea, the connection, the first delight, the stroke is that you proceed with the appreciation of that basic goodness. Strangely enough, when you are very thirsty, while you are drinking a glass of water, your mind is almost completely without anxiety at all. You can try this yourself. While you're drinking a glass of water, you have no thoughts. You are purely synchronizing your mind and body together in drinking that nice, cool glass of water. That is the concept of the stroke."


--Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala