Aliens in the Supermarket #3: Artichokes

 Artichokes are delicious, that's no big secret.  They're not entirely uncommon in many Italian and French dishes either.  Yet, how often have you run across this vegetable in the store, with its somewhat pinecone-esque appearance, and thought to yourself, "Wait, how do I actually eat this?"  Well, my friends, today, I'm going to show you how!

HOW DO I ARTICHOKE

I Can Cooking! #4: Homemade Marinara/Pizza/Spaghetti Sauce!

 Have you ever been in a situation where you're planning a pasta/pizza/whatever dinner, and find yourself spending long minutes in the jarred sauces aisle of the local grocer's, looking through all the different flavors and varieties, trying to remember that one brand that was really good that one time, or possibly just which one hits all the flavor notes you're looking for, while not being too expensive?  And then, what of additives and expiration dates?  Wouldn't it be so much simpler if you could, I don't know, just make a delicious sauce, from scratch, yourself?  To put what YOU want into it, and know that the whole thing is high quality?

 Today, I'm going to show you just how easy it is to do exactly that.  Also check out the latest Aliens in the Supermarket feature for the artichoke that I made as the side-dish to this!

See this?  This deliciousness could easily be yours!

 Full instructions after the jump!

What's on my desk: 7/23/13

Hey everyone!

 I'd just like to show you a couple of my recent art projects, and some sketches that are a little bit older, but still haven't been shown yet.  Let's start with this preview of a project I'm finally getting back to again:

The most elaborate tattoo I've designed yet, but for a fictional character of my design.  There's an underlying sense of vanity to that, isn't there...?

 More after the jump!

Drinklage #3: How to make a real Margarita!

 The Margarita.  A classic cocktail with a once-proud reputation, more recently made infamous by overly-sweet readymake "just add Tequila!" mixes or even worse, *gag* those premade, underproof (5% ABV?  Really?!) versions that come in those freezable pouches and are barely more than your typical slushy.  Made properly though, this cocktail is greatly refreshing, balancing perfectly those sweet, sour and salty notes, and with a potency somewhere more in the neighborhood of wine.  And as an added plus, it's just ONE MORE INGREDIENT than the mix version, and takes only about a minute more to make.  Intrigued?  Let's begin!

You may notice the lack of artificial color.  This is not a bad thing.

I Can Cooking! #3: Borscht! (a.k.a. борщ)

 Hello again!

 Let me preface this by saying this is a custom recipe, made from suggestions and what I found suited me best from a multitude of traditional recipes.  It may not be the borscht that you're used to, but that may be a good thing because this one is DAMNED TASTY.  Also, I have no idea where the "t" that ends the English version of the word came from.  ONWARD!

This is what perfection looks like.

Song of Last Week (oops!) 7/7-7/13/13: Mrs McGrath (SuidAkrA cover)

(this is what happens when I forget to press "publish")

 When I recently picked up SuidAkrA's latest album, Eternal Defiance, I was absolutely blown away by its bonus track, a cover of the old Irish folk song "Mrs McGrath."

Aliens in the Supermarket #2: Jicama!

 While these things may be pretty much second-nature to those who live in tropical regions, they're quite unfamiliar to those of us from further up north.  I've seen them at the grocer's quite a few times, and never thought to give them a shot.  But due to my sense of culinary adventurism, I figured I'd go ahead and take the plunge.  Was pleasantly surprised!  Preparation tips and description after the jump.

Huge jicama is huuuuuuge

Shout-out for a fellow artist: Craig Scott!

A fellow artist and old buddy of mine from way back just got his site up and running!  On it he's put up several galleries showcasing several of the different styles of art he's done in recent years.  Check him out!

Craig Michael Scott Art & Design

The Drunken Philosopher #8: Just think what we could do!

 A bit ago I saw this image posted by the All Science, All the Time FaceBook page, and it sparked a bit of a fire in me.  This picture spells out, in only a few words, a frustration I've had with human nature, and our seemingly inherent unwillingness to accept change and progress:

Srsly guys, stahp.

  Since this is something I actually do feel strongly about, expect a bit more seriousness than what you may be accustomed to from the Drunken Philosopher series of postings.

What's on my desk: 7/9/13

 In between layers of drying watercolor on the recently-posted Richter Mitchell and Phobos illustration, I've been starting on the sketchwork for the next piece, one of his younger brother and later main character, Justin Mitchell, with his Deity, Deimos.

Drinklage #2: Corpse Reviver #2

 So, after a long Saturday night of living it up, that Sunday feeling has come on over you and you feel like having one of those good-old "hair of the dog" cocktails to edge yourself off back into normality.  But that old mainstay of the Bloody Mary just loses its charm, and besides you want something a bit more refreshing, seeing as how we're in the middle of summer and all.  But don't fret!  I've got just the suggestion:  the aptly-named Corpse Reviver #2!

I Can Cooking! #2: Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

 Fettuccine Alfredo.  It's one of those original comfort dishes, with its rich, creamy, peppery sauce atop those wide, tender noodles.  And then add some blackened chicken and sauteed vegetables, and well, you've got yourself a dish fit for a king!  In this edition, I'll be giving instructions for how to make this deliciously satisfying dish.

Song of the Week: 'MURRICA

It was the obvious choice to use the Star-Spangled Banner for the week that July 4th falls on, but here's an incredible version performed by Iced Earth which many out there may not have heard before (but should!).  They've managed to add that extra little bit of "HELL YEAH" factor into the song, while still staying true to the original composition (which so many renditions sadly fail to do).  The harmonizing of the guitars and the way the drumrolls are done toward the end are particularly awesome.  So anyway, without further ado:

The Drunken Philosopher #7: Ri-diddly-doo, just passin' on through...

Walking.  Through.  Walls.

Did I get your attention?  From olden tales and lore of phantoms to the current sci-fi and comics, the rate of occurrences of this phenomenon/ability without any real thought to the specifics of how exactly it would work is almost as amazing as the ability itself.  We know that about 99% of all matter, even of the solid sort, is just empty space, and it's the fields generated by the repulsion forces of those countless subatomic particles that make things seem "solid"... so if there was a way to turn those fields off or without collapsing our own atoms into neutron star matter, or simply align our subatomic particles just right either through magic, SCIENCE!, or some sort of Men Who Stare at Goats -level meditation technique, then that would be awesome... but then, how would we make sure that we'd only be intangible to the walls?

Drinklage #1: Let's talk about booze!

Today, I'll discuss another hobby of mine:  drinking.  Okay, that sounds bad.  More specifically, the mixology, discovery of new flavors, and the "wow" factor when you make something truly delicious.

(I've got a bit of a collection going, you see)

Unholy Paladin Studios Tutorials: How to build a picture with a light table

Huge drawing is huuuuuuge.

 So, you want to build up a very complex illustration, and you want to make sure that everything, both foreground and background, is absolutely perfect before committing them to the same piece of paper?  Or you're just not wanting to mess up one element of the picture while working on another?  Or perhaps, the final project is simply going to be on a larger piece of paper than what you're sketching on?

 Today, I'll be covering a technique using one of the most useful tools in a traditional artist's arsenal, the light table, in order to accomplish all the above.

Shout-Out: Creativerse!

Today I would like to give a shout-out for "Creativerse," a blog run by Daniel Wagner, a cousin of mine!

He's had it up and running since this February; though there's no one particular theme to the postings, but it's all really interesting stuff, ranging from video game nostalgia to social issues, to his opinions on various other things.  All of it is quite well-written and thought-provoking stuff.  Though there's not much up yet, just keep in mind that it's just the beginning of what promises to be a great blog!

Song of the Week! Origami, "Потерянный Рай," 23-29 Jun 2013

Bringing back this old feature!  So it's already Thursday night, but I've listened to it several times throughout the week so it still counts, yeah?

So anyways, here we have an acoustic version of a ballad from a metal band from Russia, who have a Japanese name. And you know what? It's a damn good song, even if you don't understand the words. And if you do? The feels, man.  And that breakdown that begins at around the 2:43 mark to 3:35?  Beautifully executed.


And of course, just to be completely fair to the song, here's the (even more amazing) studio version for compare:

I Can Cooking! Volume 1: The Deliciousness that is Calamari

Hello all!

This will kick off the first of one of the new features I discussed in my "blog revival" post; in which I discuss one of my other favorite pastimes:  cooking!

Now, This may of course prompt me to change the title of my blog (especially since, you know, it's going to be more of general stuff from my life than art from now on), but I'll worry about that once I figure out if I even can change the title, lol.  So anyway, let's begin, shall we?

SO!  Calamari time.

 Calamari is one of those dishes that can make or break a cook; it's simple enough that anyone could make it, but it's also quite easy to do wrong.  There are two precise points at which it reaches a perfect doneness, either very early into the cooking cycle, or fairly late into it when the meat begins to break down and soften again.  Ever been out to eat at a restaurant and been served a plate full of chewy, rubbery or leathery pieces of calamari that lacked any real flavor outside of the breading, and was more of a chore to get through than it was worth?  Yeah, me too.  I suspect that the majority of people who purport to hate calamari have only had the unfortunate experience of gnawing through a very poorly-cooked plate of the stuff.  It's supposed to be soft, buttery, with a slight chew; just slightly firmer than imitation crab.  And though the flavor is mild, it's definitely there:  rich, slightly savory, and just the slightest hint of sea but none of the funk we often associate with seafood.  So how do we accomplish THAT?

Ah, so this site still exists!

This is what happens when the e-mail account originally used to set up the blog no longer exists, and you don't bother fixing it for... 2 years?

Switched it over to this whole brand new G+ thing, will spend the next week or so doing "renovation work" (or would it more appropriately be "REMOVE-ation?"  ...Nobody?  Ah well.) to get it to a more usable shape, and will start using it for the stuff that's too lengthy to post on my FB, and too unrelated for my DA.  Of course there'll be my usual drawing stuff and pseudo-intellectual bullshit, but will also be joined with some cool stuff like food and drinks I make, and maybe some tourism stuff since I've finally got a decent camera.

Also going to figure out what to do with my Playlist doodad at the bottom.  It was cool 7 years ago when I set this thing up, but now even though I like it, I feel that having music autoplay any time someone comes by may only serve to drive off any prospective readers.  "What is this, MySpace?!" and all that.  Maybe after playing around with the sidebars (which have remained unchanged since I set this thing up), I'll just link it there, like "Hey, open this in a new tab for your listening enjoyment if you so choose; I shan't shove the music I like down all of your throats!"

Kind of looking forward to seeing what sort of layout and format capabilities have been added since the old days.  I barely touched the CSS for the page when I first set this thing up, was scared of ruining it all... hell, I think this is largely still one of the "format" layouts, just with a couple of minor tweaks here and there.  Going to have to dive into the new web design tools suite and see if I can't come up with something that's a bit more... ME.

ONWARD!