Master Mixologist

We're all about the good grub here at the Man Cave. Rob and I both like to cook, and given the absolute HAUL of kitchen gadgets I got for Christmas this year, it would be a shame not to put them to immediate use.

First of all, that huge cast iron skillet has become indispensable. I use it all the time--from frying bacon, to making gravy, or cooking hash browns--it does it all. The muffin tins are also getting a workout. I still haven't made that crab dish I was talking about, but I'm still munchin' on poppyseed muffins every day, and the blueberry variety is waiting in the wings. Dave P sent along the mixer I had on my wish list, and it's a monster. It'll mix pretty much everything but bread dough. So my first use of it will be next week--I'm going to make Crab Rangoon. I used to make it all the time several years ago, but I haven't done it in quite awhile. No mixer was the reason, I guess--it's a bitch to mix cream cheese by hand.

Along with the Crab Rangoon, I've got to come up with another dish to serve with it. I'm pretty much sold on Thai-style coconut rice, but I don't know what else to do. Maybe chicken satay with peanut sauce, or just plain old sweet and sour pork. We'll see what I feel like next week. Hell, back in college, I'd just dump a can of La Choy over rice whenever I made crab Rangoon. It was fine. But I'd like to go all-out and make something crazy good. If Angy ever finds her way back over here again, I'll make coconut shrimp for her because I know she likes it so much. It'd be a good excuse to make it for 'practice'.

Speaking of Angy, and the rest of the T2V buffoons, I got good news last night. I got my five days of vacation approved for the week of the Madness. I'll scoot outta work early on Monday night before the clowns start arriving in town, and won't go back till the Thursday night after the party ends, ten days later! Man, I don't know what I'm looking forward to more--March Madness with my buddies, or the fact that I don't have to work for ten days straight! All I know is that I'm gonna be going on a poker bender. Maybe a rum bender too, just for giggles.

That's about all for now. I've got to get some sleep before the games start. I've got a three-leg parlay on today's action, so I need to be well rested when the frisbee of my expectations gets stuck on the roof of reality later this evening.

Mikey