Serious Blogger's Block

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

So yesterday I made a classic spaghetti and meatball dish for my son's 2 month b-day dinner (for Arlene and me of course). This was my first time using a panade, which is an Italian technique of using milk and bread to form a paste which helps stretch and moisten ground meat. It's great for meatballs or making well-done burgers without drying out the meat. Here's the recipe below:


From Tyler Florence:

Ingredients

* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, smashed
* 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1 cup milk
* 4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed
* 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
* 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
* 1 large egg
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 4 cups heated Pomodoro Sauce, recipe follows, or good quality jarred tomato sauce
* 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks
* Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh basil
* 1 pound spaghetti

Directions

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. (Hang onto the pan - you'll need it to cook the meatballs.) Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into 10 equal pieces and shape them into 10 nice looking meatballs.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a 3-count of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes. Put them into a baking dish and spoon about half of the tomato sauce over. Shower with the mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil. Put the meatballs in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and put it onto a large serving platter. Pour on the rest of the sauce and mix well. Spoon the meatballs on top of the spaghetti and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately along with extra cheese.
Pomodoro Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand, liquid reserved

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes) and about 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring for a few minutes with a wooden spoon to further break up the tomatoes. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil and season again.

Yield: 4 cups



Noah's not a happy camper since he's not old enough to eat solid foods.

Risotto Balls

Yes, it's been forever since I last posted anything. I've been struggling on what to focus this blog on, but I think I've finally figured it out...FOOD! Here goes...

Shrimp and asparragus risotto the night before...




Rolling the day old risotto in balls and cover in flour and panko bread crumbs...


Staging area...


Fry to golden...


Finished product..

Reel Mowing Sucks!!!

So in an effort to go green around the house and in my garden I purchased a Scotts 20" reel mower to replace my electrical mower. My electrical mower works great, but I wanted to get something that was cordless and didn't rely on gas.



Long story short...The Scott's reel mower requires a lot of work, which includes keeping the blade clean and keeping your lawn short. This means you need to mow your lawn about twice a week. Now who the heck has enough time to mow their lawn twice a week. Needless to say, I returned the Scott's mower to Home Depot and continue to use my electric mower. Also, the reel mower busted after the fourth and last time I used it.

I'm back!!!

Okay, I know I've been away on this thing due to work, getting ready with the baby and fatherhood. Let me just say fatherhood is awesome!!! With that said, I'm not quite sure what direction to take this blog. It's been sort of a mixed bag of topics, but I think I'm going to try to focus it on running, technology, going green and fatherhood, and trying to find a balance among the four. We shall see, but I'll try to provide more content soon.

5 Things I hate about business travel

So, I'm on travel this week on business to beautiful San Diego for the week. It's been a while since I've been on travel on business and it reminded me of my time with Capgemini when I traveled Monday through Friday on six month engagements every week. Although my nice expense account, travel status, Delta Skymiles and Hyatt Diamond Points are no longer, my trip reminded me why I left the traveling world of telecom consulting. I'm a very patient traveler and can tolerate all kinds of situations, but here are my top 5 pet peeves on business travel.

5. Security Lines (primarily when people don't prepare for them, like having bottled water, don't take off their shoes, or don't take their laptops out of their bags)

4. Babies crying on the plan (I know I'm expecting one -- It's just annoying)

3. Over priced nasty food at the airport ($6 for a Miller Lite? Really?)

2. Delays (especially the ones that involve sitting on the tarmac for more than 30 mins)

1. Being away from home

What are yours?

A New Yorker for Half a Marathon

(This entry is from Arlene's Blog -- got a little lazy today and had some issues with uploading photos)

So this weekend was super exciting. On Friday night Mike put in one final practice run in preparation for the ½ Marathon, I dropped off Shea, and then we packed up for the big trip. Saturday morning we got up at 5:30AM to pack up the car, pick up Nate and Judie (who were also running), and head up to NYC. Of course, I slept all the way while Mike drove and Judie and Nate provided all these great snacks. We made it to NYC in record time and got into town a little before 10:30. First stop was the Time Hotel in Times Square where we couldn’t quite check in yet, so we dropped off the car and walked over to Niketown for registration. There were a ton of people there. Mike, Nate, and Judie picked up their numbers and T-shirts while I picked up a little megaphone to cheer with.



Then it was time for lunch. We headed over to Judie’s Dad’s restaurant, Mr. K’s. If you’re from DC, you’ll probably remember the Mr. K’s in DC from back in the day. We feasted for like 2+ hours on a 6 course meal!!! The belly LOVED it! Hahaha. For appetizers, we had the crispy beef, king shrimp spring rolls, and pork dumplings (my fave) followed by sweet and sour soup for me and Judie and shark fin soup for Nate and Mike. Then we had lemon sorbet for intermezzo followed by our entrees. The peking duck came out first (sorry but this is hands down WAY better than peking gourmet inn) and then a huge platter of veggies, lobster, and Chilean sea bass! At first we turned down dessert since we were all so full already, but Judie’s Dad HIGHLY recommended the chocolate heaven and heaven it was!!! Mike and I split one, but it was more like I ate 80% and Mike only had 20%. Hey I am eating for 2 and the baby had to have his share too! Hahaha. After the meal, Judie’s Dad took us on a tour of the restaurant which is absolutely beautiful. Thanks Judie!!!

Chopsticks used by celebrities who've dined at Mr. K's. . .




I was really full, can you tell?! I'm getting HUGE! . . .



Judie and her Dad . . .




After lunch, we walked (actually everyone else walked, I waddled) over to the Apple store on Fifth Ave so Mike could pick up an armband to carry his cell phone while he ran. With so many people running, I knew it would be difficult to find him to cheer him on but with his cell he could tell me when he was approaching certain mile markers. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to finally check in only to find out that they had forgotten to reserve a room with two double beds for us! The hotel was apparently completely booked and so we would have to settle with the only room they had left, the PENTHOUSE! We were asked to wait in the lounge for about 10 minutes while the room was cleaned and prepared, but 10 minutes turned into 2+ hours!!! Needless to say we were all getting a little irritated when finally they told us we could head on up and boy was it worth the wait! The penthouse was huge! It took up three (yes 3!) stories, had two balconies, two living room spaces, motorized shades for the windows, dining area, bar, sauna, two jet tubs, etc.

The Living room on the 1st floor with ceiling to floor windows leading out to a wrap around porch overlooking Times Square on one side and the Hudson on the other side . . .




Nate and Judie on Balcony #1 . . .




The bedroom on Floor 2 . . .



It really was 3 floors! . . .




The living room on the 3rd floor leading out to Balcony #2 . . .




Mike and Nate on Balcony #2 . . .




Bathroom #1 with floor to ceiling marble and jet tub . . .




Sauna in Bathroom #2 . . .



So we decided to grab some pizzas and drinks, eat in, and enjoy our high class accommodations for the rest of the night. On Sunday we woke up at 5AM to get to the starting line around 6:30. My parents came out to support Mike and were able to pick us up at the hotel and drop us off in Central Park.

Ready to race! . . .



Mike decided against running with his cell phone which was too cumbersome and since there were about 14,000 people running we figured we would only be able to see him after the race. So my Mom and I went to the starting line (or as close as you can get) so we could cheer the runners on and after switching sides of the street at the last minute, we saw Mike come running around the corner – what luck!

And they're off . . .



In a crowd of runners . . .



Here comes Mike! GO MIKE! . . .



Hanging with Mom . . .



The first 7 miles is a big loop around Central Park but instead of waiting for Mike to come around again, we decided to head to the finish line already so Dad picked us up and we were off. These guys are fast cause by the time we got to Battery Park, the winners had already crossed the finish line! The finish line wasn’t very spectator friendly, but me, Mom, and Dad all got a spot with a great view.It took a little bit of pushing and jostling but we were able to see Nate, Judie, and Mike finish – HOORAY!

Nate (red tank in the back ground with arms up) . . .




Judie (pink shorts) . . .



Mike . . .




There's that smile . . .



Mom and Dad cheering Mike on at the finish line . . .




Congrats guys!!!



After the race, we headed back to the hotel where the runners took a quick shower, while Dad tried to find parking so we could have lunch together, but to no avail so after we checked out, said our good byes to Nate and Judie who were going to meet up with her fam for lunch and then take the bus back to DC, transferred some of my shower gifts from Dad’s car to ours, and said our goodbyes to Mom and Dad, Mike and I hit up the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park for some lunch (Thanks for the recommendation Aim!)




The Shack Stack . . .



Sorry Five Guys, but there’s a new burger in town.It was a great victory meal for Mike. On the way home, we hit some torrential down pour on the turnpike which slowed us down a little but we finally made it home, grabbed some dinner at Masala Wok in Herndon and called it a weekend. Great times with Judie, Nate, Mom, and Dad!

R.I.P Randy Pausch

Inspirational.

Are you stocking up on 2005 Bordeux?

Probably not...Who knew this vintage was going to be hot? Now I'm no wine expert, but if you've always wanted to get into the wine world check out Wine Library TV!



The host of this show Gary Vaynerchuk is a riot! Over the past couple of years he's made wine approachable for the average Joe through his video blog. When I watch this guy I'm mesmerized by his passion and enthusiasm for wine. He started off working for his dad who owns the original Wine Library in Springfield, NJ. I've been lucky enough to visit this two story wine and cheese filled mecca and I gotta say the selection here is off the chain! By using the internet and Web 2.0 technology he's taken his dad's family business to the next level.

The episode above with Jim Kramer is one of my favorites -- check it out, all 45 mins of it!

Disclaimer

If you haven't noticed, my blog contains ads served up by Google Adsense which uses some super secret code to determine what ads to post on my blog. I do not have any control over these ads being displayed. Feel free to drop me a post, if you feel there is anything within in the ads you feel are offensive. That is all.

Tweet on Twitter

So Twitter is finally taking off and folks are finally catching wind of what this social networking tool can do. I'm not 100% sure if I'm a big fan, but I can appreciate the concept. In a nutshell, Twitter allows you to update your "social" status via text messaging on your mobile phone. If you have an iPhone it's even more powerful, allowing you to use GPS capabilities to allow your network to know where you are at any given time (pretty scary). I do like the fact that you can limit who has access to your status and that you can a set up individual groups to give certain access rights to your status. So who else is using Twitter besides me?

13.1

Okay one week to go until the Nike NYC Half Marathon. Am I ready? Not quite, but I'm willing to give it a go. I bought some new Saucony Triumphs and gave them a test run today. They are very light and responsive compared to the Asic Gel Cumulus 8s I've been running in. I'll be sure to give a full report on the shoes after a few weeks or after the race. In the meantime check out the video below, looks like the course will be packed with runners and rock bands!

"The Dark Knight"

Wow, finally a movie that lived up to all the hype. I gotta say this is one the best movies I've seen...ever. This sequel is dark and filled with action packed scenes that looked flawless. The Joker played by the recently decease Heath Ledger was relentless. He was pure evil in this movie and Ledger was very convincing. The storyline was unexpected and makes you question humanity. If you haven't scene it, go see it now! I give it 6 stars out of 5.

Respect

So...I'm sitting at Cosi Bar in Ballston using their free WiFi connection for work. I like working here since there isn't much noise except during the morning coffee and lunch rush. I usually grab a bagel and coffee (about $3.50) while I'm "working", as a courtesy for using the Wifi connection...plus I think Cosi would kick me out if they noticed me a few times a week without any Cosi products. Anyway, I'm sitting here with my laptop, cup of coffee, used napkins and foil wrappers from my already eaten whole grain bagel w/veggie cream cheese and I notice one of the Cosi workers who happens to be Filipino attempting to clean my table. The Filipino man looks old enough to be my uncle. For some reason I felt the need to stop him and stand up to take my own trash to the bin. I mean I don't mind being waited on, but when I see an elder Filipino person cleaning up after me, I just doesn't sit well. I proceed to pick up my own trash and he stops me, smiles and grabs the trash from my hands and says something in Tagalog with a smile. Of course my non-speaking understanding Tagalog ass has no idea what to say...except Salamat!

Hello World!

Greetings and welcome to my world!!! My name is Mike and I have created this blog to share my experiences with life. Most of all I hope this blog serves as a two way venture where you learn something from my experience and I can receive feed back from readers about theirs. This blog will be a work in progress and will cover a number of topics for now. For now, I hope to share my experiences of preparing to be and being a new father, living in D.C., eating food, drinking wine and traveling. Most I all I'm using this blog to improve my writing. So bare with me and enjoy.