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Archive for September, 2010

Join Me in Reading Infinite Jest

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on September 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

I’ve had Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace on my reading list (and bookshelf) for awhile now but haven’t found the right time to jump into it. Many people proclaim it as the modern book that will go down as a classic. After reading it once Erik placed it in his top five books of all time. His list is something that I hold in the highest regard. After re-reading it recently he determined that it might possibly be #1. Wow, talk about a must read!

I had actually decided to read it as my next fiction book and then I stumbled across this Infinite Jest Deathmarch which I will now be participating in. If you’ve ever been interested in reading Infinite Jest I invite you to join me and the group that will be tackling it together. If you’ve never heard about it but this sounds interesting, even better! The book is pretty hefty (~1k pages) but they intend to take it slow with a pace of roughly 50 pages each week. I apologize for the late notice as this is set to kick off Friday.

Come along for the ride!

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David Ties the Knot While My Stomach is Tied in Knots

Posted in Weddings, tagged , , , , on September 23, 2010 | 1 Comment »

As we progress through our twenties each year seems to bring more weddings. This year’s total so far has been four with one more on the books in early November. Over the last few years several of my good friends from college have been wed but, amazingly enough, everyone that I was close with in high school seems to have skirted the issue. That is, until this past weekend when Amanda and I attended the marriage of two of my closest friends from home, David Phillips and Kerry Robinson Phillips.

David had asked me to be his best man, a first for yours truly. Being a best man is one of those things that I have secretly hoped that I might be able to do one day. As an only child, I have always placed a very high premium on my friends. I view many of my friends as family and cherish deeply the relationships I have with them. Lurking in the back of my head throughout life has always been this thought: am I a good friend in return to the people that I care so much about? I’ve believed that being a best man would be a resounding yes to that question, even if it only spoke for one other person.

That’s why I viewed being David’s best man as one of the great honors of my life thus far. David is my oldest friend and I’ve known him longer than anyone other than my immediate family. Being able to stand with him at his wedding is something that I have a hard time finding words to describe because it meant so much. The experience was also utterly terrifying. (more…)

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What Can You Get for $20 at the Farmer’s Market?

Posted in Food, Houston, tagged , , , , on September 16, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Matt and I live about 6 blocks from a BANGIN’ organic farmer’s market. We now have an awesome Saturday morning tradition of walking over to the farmer’s market with a $20 bill (no more, no less) with the intent of spending every last penny.

Kathy AKA Green Bean Goddess

I’m pretty in love with farmer’s markets (see numbers 5 and 6 on my favorite website), but this is a whole new ballpark mainly because Matt, son of Rootman, is the most friendly, talkative human on the planet, so we now are friends with all of the farmers and the farmer’s market manager. This is very beneficial, you see, because once you make friends with the farmers- you’re in. No longer will I have to stand back and watch the pretty lady with her put-together wicker farmer’s market basket buy the last green beans or sweet potatoes. No, no! Instead, Kathy, our favorite farmer, saves us a bunch so there are no blood baths.

Pass the spicy mustard!

This market is amazing because it doesn’t solely focus on fruits and veggies. You can custom order free range chicken, antibiotic/hormone free beef, lamb, and pork; grab a cup of shade grown, organic, fair-trade coffee; snag a Bavarian style pretzel; take home some fresh goat cheese; or even buy a cupcake (or 3).

Ask Matt how 'grilling' these turned out

We love seeing what we can get for $20. The first week it was basically “Christmas come early” as you can see from the pictures. We snagged mango chutney, a buttermilk cupcake, portabella mushrooms, a pomegranate, a pretzel and a dozen farm-fresh eggs. A steal for $20!

After we got home with our sweet finds, we turned our apartment into Iron Chef.

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Homemade Chipotle-Infused Vodka

Posted in Alcohol, How-to, tagged , , , , , , on September 2, 2010 | 12 Comments »

On a trip to Amanda’s hometown earlier this year we ventured over to Minneapolis one morning to have brunch at Hell’s Kitchen, a restaurant that had come highly recommended by friends. While the meal was excellent, especially my huevos rancheros, the biggest standout was the Blood Mary’s that had a smoky, spicy flavor. We learned from our waiter that the key ingredient was a homemade chipotle-infused vodka that they make in the restaurant. Interesting.

Dried chipotle peppers have an awesome aroma

Fast forward a few months to our recent first trip to Central Market (side note: Central Market is the most amazing food store I’ve ever been in; many pictures and a separate writeup will be forthcoming). I noticed dried chipotle peppers in the produce section and my mind immediately clicked: we should try to infuse our own vodka! I quickly threw a handful in a bag so we could finish shopping and get down to business. (more…)

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