I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.
Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.
I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, so if you’re wanting to argue with me about what Weezer songs should be included, you’re going to be waiting for a while.
My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.
Here’s the list guide:
Track # - Song Name - Album Name
Beastie Boys Mix CD
So What’cha Want – Check Your Head
Body Movin’ – Hello Nasty
Intergalactic – Hello Nasty
Three MCs ad One DJ – Hello Nasty
Sure Shot – Ill Communication
Root Down – Ill Communication
Sabotage – Ill Communication
Girls – Licensed to Ill
Fight for Your Right – Licensed to Ill
No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn – Licensed to Ill
Paul Revere – Licensed to Ill
Hold It Now, Hit It – Licensed to Ill
Brass Monkey – Licensed to Ill
Shake Your Rump – Paul’s Boutique
Egg Man – Paul’s Boutique
Hey Ladies – Paul’s Boutique
Shadrach – Paul’s Boutique
Ch-Check It Out – To the 5 Boroughs
Triple Trouble – To the 5 Boroughs
The Beastie Boys is (gah, I cringe just typing that because it sounds weird, but I know it’s grammatically correct) a group that I didn’t really care all that much for when I first became aware of them (Fight for Your Right). It wasn’t until college and the release of Hello Nasty that I really started to get into them. It also didn’t hurt that I had some friends who were fans and opened my eyes (and ears) to some of their classic songs like Brass Monkey and Girls.
Going through their catalog, even now when I don’t like everything they do, I’ve grown to respect them. You can really see the trio mature and evolve as musicians. In a market that is dominated by African Americans, this trio of Jewish kids has had a steady and successful hip-hop career for more than 25 years. They’ve survived in a genre whose popularity was eventually overshadowed by its bastard child, rap (and really, it’s only been recently that I’ve made a distinction between the two in my own mind).
Here’s the video for “Sabotage.” I haven’t really liked a lot of the group’s videos, but this is a classic. If you’ve not seen this homage to ‘70s-era cops/detectives, give it a view.
Classic Baked Penne Rigate with Garlic Bread and Salad
This is a Saturday meal, so that means cooking, but cheap cooking. This dish was a staple in the Rosenblatt household when my mom was cooking. It’s easy, the prepared amount is massive, and it tastes great as a leftover.
This is something my wife and I liked to fix when having people over, but with some substitutions. First, we’d go a little classier with the brands of spaghetti sauce and cheese used. I’ve got no problem going a bit ghetto when it’s me and the kids, but I’ll treat my guests a little better. I don’t know if that makes me a good host or a bad father. Second, I’d probably serve a nice Pepperidge Farm garlic bread rather than the midget Cole loaf I’m using here. PF has some damn fine garlic bread; this is the first time I’ve tried anything by Cole. Third, yeah, bag salad. Sundays are for intricate dishes. Saturdays are for bag salad.
The drink tonight is an Italian Cherry. Amaretto and cherry brandy. Super sweet and syrupy. Not something I’d recommend unless you happen to like that. I guess it was just a happy accident that I’m drinking a vaguely Italian drink while cooking an Italian dish
Now, onto the meal. You might notice when looking at the instructions that I’ve circled “cooked and drained” and drawn an arrow to the sausage/meat. The first time my wife tried to fix this after we were married, she didn’t realize that the ground beef had to be browned before mixing it in with everything. It still makes me smile.
The major effort in this meal is browning the meat, so that should give you an idea about the ease of it.
Besides tasting great, the amount of food that this makes, and the ease of the recipe, this dish is also extremely versatile. You can replace the ground beef with sausage or chicken, or heck, leave out the meat altogether. You also have an incredible amount of options in the type of sauce and cheese you use. I normally use a multi-cheese blend sauce and a sauce that includes veggies. As far as the cheese is concerned, mozzarella is the go-to cheese for this dish, but there are different Italian blends or other types that you can use.
So, unless you just don't like pasta, this is a perfect dish. If you don't think it's the perfect dish, then you did something wrong. It's your fault; don't blame the recipe for your mistakes.
Gotta throw this in at the top spot. It's the video for Matt Mahaffey/sElf's new song, Could YOu Love Me. He's singing backwards, man. Backwards!
The music really helps the creepiness factor of this video. Apparently it's from a Sherlock Holmes video game, and Watson just disappears and reappears near you. Creepy.
Can't stand the song or the singer, but it really works as a Star Trek video. I'd party with the crew of the Enterprise.
Okay, I've been hearing about Auto-Tune the News for quite a while now, but I've stayed away. I hate auto-tuning, and I just assumed I'd hate it applied to comedy. Oh how wrong I was. Looks like I'll be going back and watching the previous 11 installments.
When I first heard that there was going to be a Green Hornet movie with Seth Rogen, I rolled my eyes and dismissed it. Now the first trailer is out, and it actually looks like it could be pretty fun. As a plus, it's got Christoph Waltz as the villain. As a minus, it's got Cameron Diaz.
FIRST TRAILER FOR RED!!!!! I love Warren Ellis and just about anything he writes. I love Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary Louise Parker and Morgan Freeman. I think the chance to see Helen Mirren portray a retired CIA hit woman is priceless. This movie looks like tons of fun.
I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.
Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.
I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, so if you’re wanting to argue with me about what Weezer songs should be included, you’re going to be waiting for a while.
My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.
Here’s the list guide:
Track # - Song Name - Album Name
Alien Ant Farm Mix CD
Courage – ANThology
Movie – ANThology
Whisper – ANThology
Attitude – ANThology
Death Day – ANThology
Smooth Criminal – ANThology
1,000 Days – TruANT
Quiet – TruANT
Glow – TruANT
These Days – TruANT
Goodbye – TruANT
Bad Morning – Up in the Attic
Friday I’m in Love – 50 First Dates Soundtrack
Bug Bits – Spider-Man Soundtrack
Good (For a Woman) – American Pie 2 Soundtrack
Despite putting out three major label CDs, Alien Ant Farm is probably generally regarded as a one-hit wonder, and it’s not even for an original song. Raise your hand if you remember their awesome cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” Okay, now put your hand down, you look like an idiot. Seriously, everybody’s looking at you.
Sometimes you know that an artist or group will produce nothing significant or memorable after they land a pretty big hit their first time out. Cisco and “The Thong Song” spring to mind. But I didn’t get that vibe from AAF; I liked them. ANThology was a good CD, and TruANT was a pretty solid follow-up. As you can tell by the number of songs represented from each album, I was less thrilled with Up in the Attic. I just didn’t feel the energy that they exuded from the previous CDs.
I’m cheating a little bit by putting “Friday I’m in Love” on the list, because that’s technically not an AAF song, just a Dryden Mitchell one. As far as I know it’s his only solo work, so I just included it here. I also don't care much for The Cure, but I like this version of the song.
Warm Lemon Chicken Sandwich with Arugula and Pears
Trying something new on the blog. I’ve got a Facebook friend who at one point was using her blog (http://my30to30.blogspot.com/) to make herself accountable for her weight-loss and healthy-habit goals. Not a bad idea. People can take you to task for obviously not doing what you’re supposed to be doing after saying you're going to do. It must have worked for her, because she reached her goal. Congrats, Kate! One of the things she did was to post recipes she was making. I’m stealing THAT part of her blog. I have no lofty weight loss goals (at the moment). I just want to make my blog even more scattershot than it already is.
I’ve got three kids who are 5 years old and younger, and I love to cook. I’ve found that it’s extremely difficult to get in any decent cooking while also wrangling the kiddos, so any attempts to prepare a meal (as opposed to nuking something in the microwave or just putting something in the oven) are shelved until the weekend. I’ve also got pretty picky eaters, so any grand experiments are saved for Sunday; Saturday is for burgers, tater tots and salad, food I KNOW they’ll eat.
I’ve got a routine for my cooking. First, a drink. I bought a bartending book when I got my first post-college apartment in 2001. Rather than find a drink and stick with it, I’ve slowly been going through and trying everything I’ve got ingredients for and checking off the drink once I’ve had it. The book is divided into sections (vodka, whiskey, gin, etc.), and I switch sections after each new drink so I can mix it up a bit. I also stick to just one drink while a cook. I’m working with heat, and I’ve got kids in the house. So one drink, then it’s water.
Last night’s drink was a Maxim Cocktail. One ounce gin, ¾ ounce sweet red vermouth, and two tsps. white crème de cocoa. I’m not a big fan of gin, and too much sweet vermouth can really ruin a drink for me, but I guess the crème de cocoa held everything together; the drink wasn’t all that bad.
Now onto the cooking. Lately I’ve been on a Rachel Ray kick. I love almost everything I’ve made out of the two cookbooks I have (365: No Repeats and 30 Minute Meals 2), and the kids will eat most of the chicken dishes I cook. I’ve got two big problems with the recipes, though. 1) A lot of the ingredients are somewhat expensive. I can make a decent meal with my Better Homes and Garden red-and-white checked cookbook for not a lot of money, but Rachel likes to throw in somewhat exotic (to me, at least) ingredients. Hell, the prosciutto I used in this recipe was almost $11/lb.! 2) This is mostly a problem with the 30 Minute Meals book, but it takes me at least an hour for each recipe, and that includes prep time. I guess it helps when you’ve got an entire team chopping, slicing and measuring for you. I’ve learned to eyeball some things, though, so that helps with the time a bit.
So I’m not going to rehash the recipe instructions or ingredient list here. I’ve taken pictures and you should be able to get what you need from them. Hmm…will I run into copyright infringement issues for doing that? I’m going to give my thoughts on the process. I’m posting this the day after (I’ve got an old laptop and an iffy Internet connection at home, otherwise I’d do this live on Sundays as I go), so hopefully I’m going to remember all my thoughts from last night.
The biggest thing I can remember is that prosciutto stinks, and it doesn’t taste all that good by itself. It worked with the salad, but I tried a bit as I was slicing that pungent bastard up, and I think I ended up spitting out the bite I had.
I totally missed the step about adding the Parmigiano-Reggiano (I used regular parmesan cheese) to the vinaigrette. No big loss for me, though. The dressing came out just fine without it.
I really need to read the complete recipe all the way through before starting. I had assumed that I’d be plopping the chicken down on the toasted bun (regular hamburger buns instead of Kaiser rolls), but that was not the case. I might have originally sliced the chicken differently before cooking, but probably not. I also didn’t realize the salad was supposed to top the chicken, so I had already served it on the side. I think this was the way to go, though, as the combo of the salad and chicken might have been too much for the sandwich.
I didn’t mess with a garlic clove since I’ve got a pretty big jar of minced garlic already on hand. So instead of rubbing the clove on the toasted bun, I just spread a tiny bit of the minced garlic and juice on there. That worked out pretty well. The taste wasn’t overpowering, but it was definitely there.
If you’re curious, I used a d’Anjou pear.
I enjoyed the salad, but next time I’d probably use a little less olive oil. It was a bit heavy. After tasting the prosciutto while cooking, I was nervous as to how the finished salad might taste, but all the ingredients worked together and it turned out to be enjoyable. I’m actually having leftovers for lunch today with leftover chicken sliced on top. Should be good.
As for the chicken sandwich, it was good, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. I’d just as soon eat the chicken separate or on top of a salad, as with today’s lunch. Sandwiches should be a quick fix, and this didn’t really fit the bill for that.
For the kids, I didn’t think they’d go for the full salad, so I gave them some arugula with ranch dressing and some pear on the side. Turns out even with the dressing they didn’t like the arugula, and I can’t really blame them; it’s pretty bitter. The youngest at least attempted to eat every little leaf that was on his plate, but when dinner was over there was a nice pile of chewed up arugula left. The oldest gave it a valiant effort so he could get dessert, but he just couldn’t tough it out. They tried, though, and they all ate (and enjoyed) the chicken, so dessert was had by all.
My oldest was the only one who wanted his chicken on a sandwich, so the other two had their chicken cut up. I consider it high praise when one of them asks to have that for dinner every night.
My oldest son “invented” dessert. Rainbow sherbet on ice cream cones with crushed peppermints inside the cone and sprinkled on top of the sherbet. It was his Father’s Day treat to me. Ah, my kids are sweethearts. And I wonder if this means we’ve got the next generation of Rosenblatt cooks in the making? That’ll make him generation number four (unless my great-grandpa Rosenblatt was a cook; I’ve got no knowledge of that).
So that’s that. If you try this, come back and let me know what you thought of it. I enjoyed writing this up and documenting the cooking process with pictures. I hope I can keep up with it.
Gonna have to see Dinner for Shmucks. Yup, gonna have to see it.
I wasn't good at the video game, and I never saw the other movies because they looked horrible...but this is a pretty kick-ass trailer for a new Mortal Kombat movie.
Having an immortal dog might not be as awesome as you might think.
A boombox can change the world. You've gotta know your limits with a boombox.
I thought I had posted this already, but I couldn't find it, so here are...all?...of Terry Crews' Old Spice commercials. Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-POWER!!!
First trailer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the next Narnia installment.
Despite Luke Wilson, you've got Giovanni Ribisi, James Caan, and I'm pretty sure I saw a brief glimpse of Kevin Pollack, three excellent reasons to watch any movie. Then you've got the added bonus of this being about the rise of Internet porn, and it becomes captivating.
I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.
Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.
I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, so if you’re wanting to argue with me about what Weezer songs should be included, you’re going to be waiting for a while.
My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.
Here’s the list guide:
Track # - Song Name - Album Name
Alice in Chains Mix CD
Grind – Alice in Chains
Heaven Beside You – Alice in Chains
Again – Alice in Chains
Over Now – Alice in Chains
Them Bones – Dirt
Damn That River – Dirt
Down in a Hole – Dirt
Sickman – Dirt
Hate to Feel – Dirt
Angry Chair – Dirt
Would – Dirt
Man in the Box – Facelift
No Excuses – Jar of Flies
Swing on This – Jar of Flies
Got Me Wrong - Sap
I would probably list Alice in Chains as tied with Soundgarden for my third favorite grunge band. But that’s a distant third behind Pearl Jam and Nirvana. As such, I have very little to say about the band.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the harmonies that the group is known for. Eh. They set the band apart from other grunge counterparts in the ‘90s, but when I want to listen to grunge, I don’t want to hear stylistic harmonies.
“Would” is probably my favorite song out of the bunch. I was going to say that it was probably the best song to be included on the Singles soundtrack, but then I took a look at the song listing and realized that half the songs on there are better.
I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.
Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.
I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, so if you’re wanting to argue with me about what Weezer songs should be included, you’re going to be waiting for a while.
My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.
Here’s the list guide:
Track # - Song Name - Album Name
Aerosmith Mix CD
Intro – Get a Grip
Eat the Rich – Get a Grip
Get a Grip – Get a Grip
Cryin’ – Get a Grip
Amazing – Get a Grip
Baby Please Don’t Go – Honkin’ on Bobo
Just Push Play – Just Push Play
Jaded – Just Push Play
Pink – Nine Lives
Rag Doll – Permanent Vacation
Dude (Looks Like a Lady) – Permanent Vacation
Hangman Jury – Permanent Vacation
Girl Keeps Coming Apart – Permanent Vacation
Walk This Way – Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology
Woman of the World – Get Your Wings
The Train Kept a Rollin’ – Get Your Wings
Sweet Emotion – Toys in the Attic
Dulcimer Stomp/The Other Side – Pump
This is the first mix CD where I really had to cut a lot of songs from the original batch in order to get an 80-minute CD. I’ve liked Aerosmith since Permanent Vacation dropped, but I didn’t really consider myself a fan until Get a Grip. I was in grade school for Permanent Vacation, and at the time my band of choice was Huey Lewis and the News. Then Rag Doll and Dude (Looks Like a Lady) hit, and this began the slow conversion from ‘80s pop to classic rock. I also remember that Aerosmith videos on MTV were part of the reason why my parents wouldn’t let me watch the channel.
Get a Grip holds a lot of sentimental value for me, especially Amazing. There was a girl and an unrequited crush. I remember listening to that song on repeat while falling asleep every night at band camp my sophomore year of high school. I was also very fond of Alicia Silverstone at the time, and she was in, what, three videos from the album? And let’s not forget group frontman Stephen Tyler’s daughter Liv and, unknown at the time, Lost scallywag Josh Holloway.
While I’ve liked most of Aerosmith’s post-rehab work, I’m less thrilled with their earlier work. Of course, Get Your Wings and Toys in the Attic are great, but every other track you’ll find on this mix is from Permanent Vacation and beyond. There’s a distinct difference in the sound between the stuff before Permanent Vacation and after, and I just enjoy and am more accustomed to the latter stuff. That’s why the version of Walk This Way that I included is the Run DMC version and not the original.
Astute readers may also notice that this is the second cover of the Big Joe Williams blues tune Baby Please Don’t Go. I like the song, but I can’t recall if I’ve ever heard the original before.
While I think other bands are more talented, I’d probably list Aerosmith as my favorite “classic” rock band.
I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.
Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.
I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, so if you’re wanting to argue with me about what Weezer songs should be included, you’re going to be waiting for a while.
My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.
Here’s the list guide:
Track # - Song Name - Album Name
Acceptance Mix CD
Seeing is Believing – Black Lines to Battlefields
Black Lines to Battlefields – Black Lines to Battlefields
Hold On – Black Lines to Battlefields
Take Cover – Phantoms
So Contagious – Phantoms
In Too Far – Phantoms
The Letter – Phantoms
Different – Phantoms
This Conversation is Over – Phantoms
Over You – Phantoms
Breathless – Phantoms
In the Cold – Phantoms
Permanent – Phantoms
Glory/Us – Phantoms
From what I can tell, Acceptance is now a defunct band. Not too big on the hard-rocking songs, they’ve got a good catalog that lends to being sung loudly in a car. And really, that’s what these mix CDs are for.
The majority of songs from this mix come from their only full-length album, Phantoms. In fact, I think I only left out one song.
This is a wholly unremarkable band. While a lot of the songs are catchy and easy to sing along with, musically there was nothing that made this group pop and stand out. It’s generic, and while I’m perfectly content to listen to generic, I’m sure that this played a part in the group’s demise.
