The Stock Pot

We had some good stuff for the stock pot last night: Leeks, celery, carrots, onions, and, of course, yard bird.

The Whole Enchilada

Growing up in San Antonio, I had a love-hate relationship with the enchilada. (Think: Wednesdays, public school lunchroom, canned chili and cheap cheese.) Great stuff, until track practice at 2:30. Then you're out running on the track, no shade, hottest time of the day, sweat rolling off your temples.

Anyway, this is how I work the enchilada these days.

Home Fry Debate of 1998

Me and my Texas crew used to argue about a variety of important topics--like how to make homefries. I used to boil, then cool, cut, and fry my potatoes. Others (like my friend Mateo) chose the "high impact" method, where the raw potatoes and onions were thrown into a hot skillet, then cooked with a lid on to steam them. The high impact method had the advantage that you could skip a step (boiling the potatoes), and the disadvantage that you had to stand at the stove and monitor the situation. Brief lapses in attention would lead to burned homefries that stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Here's how I roll these days: the potatoes and onions (and in this case, whole cloves of garlic) are chopped and coated with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I then heat up the skillet on the stovetop...


Then pop the whole pan into the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. The potatoes come out great every time, and you don't have to hover over the stove while they cook.

All About Lava

Megan and I went to Lava Hot Springs for St. Valentine's day. On our way to the bar, Roy gave us a tour and history lesson.

Listen to the Illinoise

We arrived in Illinois right after an ice storm. All of the trees, power lines, fences, and blades of grass were coated with a layer of frozen rain.

On Christmas day, we deep fried a turkey...

Rarely is the question asked: "is the ass of that turkey going to cook?"

The Hansen's estate.

Thin Crust Pizza

Sticking with the food theme--thin crust pizza.




This one has mushrooms, jalapenos, red pepper, and pepperoni.

Borracho Beans

I'm still hurting for some New Mexico green chiles. Below, I made due with some dried peppers from the garden, then threw in some onions, garlic, cumin, black pepper, and salt. I then simmered this concoction for about 3 hours...

Skiing in the Logan Backcountry

Here are some video highlights from our latest couple of backcountry ski tours. Richie even brought a Jack Russell Terrier (nicknamed lil' J.R.) on one of the tours.

Dregs of the Netflix Queue, part VI

Mother, Jugs, and Speed was our latest Bad '70s movie. It stars the unlikely trio of Raquel Welch, Bill Cosby, and Harvey Keitel (who is noticeably smaller than Raquel Welch). Rounding out the cast is the aptly named Dick Butkus and Larry Hagman. Watching this movie reminded me of how much the comedy movie has changed since the '70s. Bill Cosby drinks beer while during his shift as an ambulance driver. Larry Hagman's tries to sexually assault a passed-out coed. The EMTs (ambulance drivers) seem to be there only to pick up the injured--not to provide any medical attention. I did kind of dig their ambulances--one's an A-Team style short van, and the other's a hearse-like Cadillac.



Why did Cadillac ever stop making ambulances? This one must have had an incredible ride.

The Winnebago Man

I've watched this Winnebago salesman a few times, and it gets funnier with each viewing. I would like to have seen the finished commercial.

Dregs of the Netflix Queue, part V

I've been in the mood for a bad '70s movie. This one sure fits the bill: a roller derby flick called The Kansas City Bomber. Raquel Welch plays a divorced mom trying to juggle a career in roller derby, sleazy love interests, and children. The stands are full warty, hairy fans, many missing teeth. Jodie Foster shows up in one scene (If I ever meet Ms. Foster, I'll start the conversation this way: "didn't you play Raquel Welch's daughter in Kansas City Bomber").

Needless to say, plot holes are all over the place. Skaters play the same characters on and off the track. There's no acknowledgment of the acting part of the sport, which seems roughly akin to professional wrestling.

Rating this movie is going to be tough. It's the dreaded Six Pack paradox: how to rate a top-notch "Bad '70s" movie. Three stars seems excessive... Two stars would be too few.

Burn 'em Back

Let me know if you've ever had this problem: too many people around a fire that isn't putting out very much heat. What's a host to do? The answer--according to Joe the taxonomist--is to burn 'em back.

Turkey Bowl Domination

Every year, the graduate students in the Watershed Sciences Department play a football game against the faculty. The game is highly competitive (for some), and more of a novelty for others (like me).

White Rim Trail 2008

Five lucky souls struck out on the White Rim Trail for Halloween weekend. Here's what happened.



We mountain biked for 4 days in the Utah desert. We had beautiful weather, and had a great time. The hardest part was when I drove (in a SUV) this part of the road called the "Hogsback." (I pulled the video below off the interwebs--I don't know those people, but you get the idea).