August 10, 2011 [Wednesday]

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Free Starbucks

by Anthony

When BobG sent me this I thought it was a scam or at best a Starbuck’s promotion that was meant to look viral.  I read the article, and the original website and even did a web search before I decided it was legit and that I should post it.  The bottom line here is you can use the image to the right to attempt to purchase coffee at Starbucks.

Hi! I’m Jonathan Stark. You can download this picture of my Starbucks card to your phone and buy coffee at Starbucks with it. Seriously. My card gets charged, you don’t. Details are here.

You can also add to the card if you are so inclined and keep an eye on the balance by following @jonathanscard on Twitter.

I am pretty impressed with the Twitter feed and really like the concept. Having a good day? Add $5 to the card and give a random stranger a good day too. Having a bad day – have a cup of coffee from someone that feels a little more fortunate.  At least conceptually it seems like a good idea.

The twitter feed is pretty impressive too – “I wrote a bot that scrapes the Starbucks site for the card balance and posts it whenever the amount changes so you can tell if there’s any money available before heading to your local S’bux.”

If you happen to use the image to get a cup of coffee report back and let me know how it worked for you. Or if you happen to feel generous and add to the card let me know about that as well.  Pretty interested to see how long this sustains itself.

August 6, 2011 [Saturday]

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Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival 2011

by Anthony

This is the third year we’ve gone to the infamous Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival held at the beautiful Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary [2009] [2010]. The second year we’ve gotten a safe ride from Darrell. The first year we’ve gone to the Friday night event. And the first year we created awesome fun things like the merry-go-round (duck, duck, goose), taking the hill (Teddy Roosevelt)  and “stage-laxing” (final copyrighted name pending). We could have gotten around to something useful but we had to stand in line for BBQ for a least an hour. (Time well spent in retrospect.) Otherwise as I’ve said before – the event is everything you would expect when you combine fun people with sample of beer, bourbon and a nice plate of BBQ.

As always hit the jump for more photos including the new phenomenon that BobG started of  laying on stage with a band.  If you have a better name for this than “stage-laxing” post it in the comments. 

August 1, 2011 [Monday]

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Did my sushi just move?

by Anthony

So I consider NPR a pretty dull but reliable news source.  Then they tweeted about an article entitled Food On A Plate Shouldn’t Move. As far as I can tell they are serious and backing it up with this video of a headless squid moving on the dinner plate. I was awake enough during biology to understand the explanation of why it happens. That being said I really hope this isn’t a trend because I don’t think I could eat the meal that just danced on the plate.  A little disconnect from my food never hurts.

I know a lot of you have heard my theory on animal images in restaurants. I think seeing the animal you are about to eat hanging on the wall or printed on the menu engages your long lost internal hunter function and makes you feel like you achieved something when the food comes out. Before you write me off as crazy think about the number of nice restaurants where you can see a cow, pig, fish or chicken before you order.  I think there is a little bit of food psychology in there somewhere.

So the next time someone mentions dinner on the move maybe you’ll think about the drive thru at a local McDonald’s or maybe you’ll think about the dancing squid. Either way you are going to need some Tums. If you want to order the squid it is a Japanese dish called odori-don. [LINK]

July 24, 2011 [Sunday]

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The Drinking Man’s Diet

by Anthony

We were sifting through items at a local estate sale looking for bargains when I ran across this small paper back book from 1965 in great condition. How could I turn it down? Titled “The Drinking Man’s Diet or How to Lose Weight with a Minimum of Will Power (also recommended for ladies and teetotalers)” – it sounded like the plan for weight loss. Over the coming weeks as I read and explore this find I’ll post more about what is suggested.  In the mean time ponder these -

• Ad exec. off 8 lbs. in 60 effortless days
• Pub. rels. expert off 28 lbs. in 12 months. Has held his weight without “pain” for 2 years since.
• Retired steel exec. off 9 lbs. first 30 days. Held his weight easily to date. (Wow – since 1965?)
• Promotion chief lost 14 lbs. the easy way in 30 days. Holding firm without torture since.
• Partner, accounting firm, fought a losing “calorie counting” battle for 18 months. Four weeks on this diet off 16 lbs. “It’s been my salvation.”
• Working widow, 3 children. Lost 9 lbs. 4 weeks. “Still take my two 6PM tension breaking martinis.”
• Marketing exec., national firm, lost 5 lbs. first weekend.

All from the back cover – if the back cover is this good just imagine the gems inside.  Stay tuned – more wonderful insights coming.

July 4, 2011 [Monday]

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Caffeinated Wild Turkey American Honey BBQ Sauce

by Anthony

So the Independence Day Holiday is a time for celebrating the great freedoms in the United States of America that have been fought for and defended for generations. We live in the greatest country on the planet and as far as we know the universe. This time of celebration has people opening their homes and their grills to family and friends and a good time is had by all.  Where is this post going?  Oh yeah – my latest BBQ Sauce creation – Caffeinated Wild Turkey American Honey BBQ Sauce.

I made this last night for Nick’s cookout and enough people liked it that I decided to do something I rarely do – I am publishing the recipe. I actually remembered to write it down while I was making it so why not? The finished product is a sweet spicy sauce that should be good on just about any meat. (No shed jokes please.)

You’ll need – 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup coffee, 1 cup Wild Turkey American Honey, 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar to start the base.  Mix these items in a large sauce pan and stir till combined over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (more if you like more heat or less if you are Canadian) and a sprinkle of onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and add 1/3 cup yellow mustard, a 12 ounce can of tomato paste, 5 drops liquid smoke and 1/2 teaspoon corn starch (thickens it up and makes it stick to your ribs – literally).  From there whisk to combine and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add salt to taste.

Hope you have a great Fourth of July and an awesome cookout and just remember – if the sauce doesn’t work out for any reason you still have a lot of Wild Turkey that you can drink to save the cookout.  Enjoy.