Spicy Basil Eggplant with Chicken

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but I have a few stories brewing between my sulci and gyri...

Thai food is near and dear to my heart. My most memorable meal ever in life was the coconut curried crab I devoured at a Thai restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. The place would have received every USDA Food Safety and Inspection citation known to man but to me, it will always be perfect.

In honor of that experience, I have experimented with a few Thai dishes. Last night, I prepared Spicy Basil Eggplant with Chicken, which made stomaching the Eagles poor showing somewhat tolerable. Bon Appetit.

Lamb duo

Lamb duo

In 1996, I eliminated red meat from of my diet. Since then, my father's dry rubbed pork ribs would call my name. A few years ago, I finally took a bite of the forbidden fruit and haven't repented since. Like Chik-fil-A and Michael Pollan, I'm still on the anti-cow campaign. But, I have recently rekindled my love affair with lamb .

In preparation of Irene, I marinated a butterflied leg of lamb in mixture of harissa, minced garlic, EVOO, rosemary, ground pepper, cinnamon, sea salt, and balsamic vinegar for two days. Then, I seared both sides and roasted the lamb in the oven with the remaining marinade. Once the meat was done, I reduced the jus to make a spicy yet savory sauce that would make a sous chef proud.



The finished product was: 1) roasted lamb with truffle garlic mashed potatoes, and broccoli and 2) roasted lamb sandwich w spinach and heirloom tomatoes





Enjoy!!

For those paying attention, I have included a score at the end of a few of my posts. I think iPods, iPhones, and other mp3 devices have led to pseudo-social isolation in public settings (e.g., playing Words with Friends instead of greeting the person sitting next to you). However, the perfect playlist can be the ideal accompaniment to the daily trek. This past weekend, I flew down to ATL for a mini-reunion of sorts with a few of my ALRP brethren. Although none of us does anything remotely close to programming, I think our deceased mentor would be proud of our accomplishments to date. In addition, I celebrated another birthday. While sitting at the bar waiting for my flight’s departure, I put together the following list of songs. Enjoy!!

PLAYLIST PART UNO

1. Parents (Interlude) – Gil Scott Heron

2. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood – Nina Simone

3. Thistle and Weeds – Mumford and Sons

4. Everything I Am – Kanye West

5. God Made Man – Young the Giant

6. Sunlight – Tabi Bonney

7. The Wilhelm Scream – James Blake

8. The Race – Wiz Khalifa

9. Money Machine – Curren$y

10. Late – Kanye West

11. Who Will Survive in America – Gil Scott Heron/Kanye West

12. As Small As A Giant – Big K.R.I.T.

13. The Newspaper – Citizen Cope

14. Awake My Soul – Mumford and Sons

15. Success Is My Cologne – Curren$y

16. My Life – Talib Kweli

17. Being Blessed – Gil Scott Heron

Blue Moon What?

A record heat wave made me wonder if fracking created a man-made entrance to hell. Scavenging the terrain for some relief in attempt to prevent another heat stroke circa summer 2010, I did my best to stay hydrated. For craft beer enthusiasts, look no further than your local Trader Joe's, home of the infamous '"two buck Chuck." With subtle hints of citrus, banana, bubble gum, and clove, this Bavarian Hefeweizen is perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day. It's on my top 10 craft beer list. And what's even better, it's only $5.99.

Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS NOT A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE FILM BECAUSE I HOPE THAT YOU ALL VENTURE OUT TO SEE IT AND FORM YOUR OWN OPINION.

Sunday evening was the first time, in awhile, that I had a chance to just sit back and relax. My exam to determine if I mastered the art of performing human voodoo (trigger point dry needling) was complete, it was still Hades hot outside, and the documentary about the group from which my blog was inspired opened this weekend. With an extra shot caramel latte (nope, not from Fourbucks) and Swedish fish in tow, I settled into my seat at E Street Cinema to check out “Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (BRL)” directed by Michael Rapaport better known as Remy from Higher Learning.

In short, I thought the documentary was fantastic. Blessed with talent, two members with relentless work ethic, an infatuation with music, and being in the right place to capitalize on opportunity, A Tribe Called Quest was born. Nodding my head to film’s score, the audience has a bird’s eye view into the intricacies of the legendary hip hop trio/quartet. Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi recount their perspective of the rise and fall of the group. Their instinctive travels and the paths of rhythm through the low end theory served as a catalyst to becoming a melodic fraternity comprised of the good, bad, and ugly. We also witness the self-proclaimed “Funky Diabetic’s” personal battle with the juvenile form of the disease and his addiction to high fructose corn syrup. BRL provides an emotional rollercoaster of love, hate, camaraderie, solitude, bitterness, jealousy, and loyalty. Unless you were a true hip-hip head, most people thought that Ali Shaheed Muhammad was the brainchild behind most of ATCQ's beats. In reality, it was Q-Tip’s realization that the sum was greater the parts that deceived mainstream. Having three brothers and eight line brothers, I firmly understand this concept.

I was first exposed to hip-hop from my cousin and older brothers. When I would visit my grandparents’ house, my cousin would always play tapes in his boom box. On the drive home, I’d ask my dad if he would buy me a tape. But, he refused based on the subject matter of the songs. So I did what any determined kid would do, I stole Breaking Atoms by Main Source from my cousin. To give you a bit of hip hop history, this album was the official introduction of Nasir Jones to the world. I listened to that album on my Walkman until I memorized every word and had to rewind the cassette with a pencil. As a kid who did well in school, the Large Professor’s (who has a cameo in BRL) lyrics in “Watch Roger Do His Thing” spoke directly to me. Over the years, groups that went against grain like A Tribe Called Quest inspired me to continue to do the same thing. In addition, my dad lightened his grasp a bit. Our agreement was that I had to listen to my tapes with him once. Sounds easy, right? Well, try listening to Big Daddy Kane’s “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy” on the ride to your biddy league basketball game with your father and uncle in the car. They analyzed that song like they were working for the FCC. As a connoisseur of good music, the suffering was worth it because "my days of payin' dues are over, acknowledge we is in there!"

The Score

Bonita Applebum


Check The Rhime



We Got The Jazz/Buggin' Out



Electric Relaxation





Lyrics To Go

Wild Alaskan Salmon with Mango Salsa, Whole Grain Rice, and Squash

This is the meal I prepared for my dad on Father's Day







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Happy Father's Day

Father’s Day often comes and goes without the same applause that Mother’s Day receives. I do not know if Hallmark is to blame or the fact that fathers do not sell themselves as well as their counterparts. Either way, I am the man I am today because of the man whose name I bear.

Growing up, I had the luxury of being with my father daily. He was usually out of the house before I left for school. He elected to do this so he could be home before I returned from school. On my walk home from the bus stop, I would always see him peering through the window. For many years, I took this for granted because I could not go off and play after school. He saw my first fight from that very same window. And although I was the victor to my neighborhood friends, I became the victim as soon as I entered my house. I did not start the fight but my father made me apologize to my childhood friend. From this experience, I learned that you will go through trials and tribulations with the people closest to you. But don’t let those issues destroy meaningful relationships.

Back to the next lesson…I had to finish my schoolwork before I could go outside and play. Easy, right? Not quite. My dad would check my homework and make me rewrite everything when I made a mistake. My father did not like eraser marks. A product of parochial schooling, neatness was paramount. There are no shortcuts in life. Well, maybe there are but you know what they say about luck. If you give it your all every time, you will be ready when those opportunities present themselves. Like Jay said, "kitchen table, that’s where i honed my skills." It was at that table that I spent countless hours perfecting my penmanship, solving the same math problems three different ways, and doing whatever else was necessary to succeed in the classroom. An education is something that no one can ever take from you. Because of my father’s (and mother’s) persistence, I learned how to study like a machine. With this skill, I have been able to have some academic and professional success.

Whether he rushed from Sunday service or work, I would always see my dad in the stands. And when I didn't see him, I would always hear him yelling at the refs. Over the years, he wore many hats that included coach, fan, cheerleader, trainer, and booster. He stopped shopping at Boyd’s so we would look fly. Instead of hanging out with his friends, he would take us to Sixers, Phillies, and Eagles games. Although I can never repay him, I try to take him to games when I get the opportunity to relive those memories. Recently, I met the man who last brought a NBA championship to Philadelphia, Dr. J. And I shared that with him.

Until I left my parent's house for college, I would go to church with them on Sundays. During those services, my recently deceased pastor would talk about having faith the size of a mustard seed. From those homilies, I researched the meaning of faith according to the Bible. And it developed from God carrying out the actions that he said he would perform. In the Old Testament, people did not just blindly believe (DISCLAIMER: it's just my interpretation). Typically, my dad is a man of few words but he was never deficient when it came to actions. I never wondered if he would be there. I knew that I could rely on him whether I was soaring or falling.

I thank you dad for sacrificing trips with your friends so we could see places outside of our hometown. I thank you for saying no to your friends in favor of games of horse with me. I thank you for sharing your mishaps with me so I do not make the same mistakes. I thank you for the telling me the history of our family. I thank you for teaching me to be a man of my word. I thank you for providing us with things that you were not able to experience as a kid. I thank you for showing us how important family is. I thank you for the words of wisdom that you have given me over the years. I thank you for allowing me to create my own destiny. Most importantly, I simply thank you for being there.