Tauntaun Love

Friends don't let friends wear sketchy costumes.

Happy Halloween!

I pity the foo...

I really doubt that any other Halloween costume will top this Asian baby dressed as Mr. T. So wrong...yet so right.

Happy Friday everyone!

Board Games: Acquire

Photo taken with instagram.

I was recently taught the board game Acquire and if you're someone who really like the real estate development aspect of Monopoly, or just think that the concept of capitalism is the best thing since sliced bread, this might be the game for you. I'm terrible at describing games, especially in a succinct way, so here's the official product description from Amazon.com:

This Sid Sackson classic has taken many different forms over the years depending on the publisher. Each player strategically invests in businesses, trying to retain a majority of stock. As the businesses grow with tile placements, they also start merging, giving the majority stockholders of the acquired business sizable bonuses, which can then be used to reinvest into other chains. All of the investors in the acquired company can then cash in their stocks for current value or trade them 2-for-1 for shares of the newer, larger business. The game is a race to acquire the greatest wealth. The original version is part of the 3M Bookshelf Series.

Ok...that may or may not have helped. I'm not sure why they call them "businesses", you're building and investing in hotel chains. Anyhow, I had a great time learning this game and I look forward to playing it again despite losing--BADLY, by tens of thousands of dollars--in my first venture.

Interested? Read more about it this one on BoardGameGeek.

Smitten with the Telecaster

I've been bitten by the gear-bug and I'm itching to test drive some telecasters at Guitar Center.

I still remember a few years back, when someone suggested this style guitar when I was looking to pick up my very first electric. Unfortunately, the clunky body of the telecaster couldn't stand up against the sexiness of the stratocaster I wound up purchasing, pictured below:

One major factor that has me thinking twice now is the simplicity of the telecaster. I mean, sometimes you just want to bang out some chords (and not hit your pick up switch by accident)! Granted, I have a long way to go in terms of improving in my craft, and for that subtle work, I think the strat will be perfect, but hey, trying some teles at the store doesn't necessarily mean a purchase...right?

In particular, I've heard amazing things about the Squier Classic Vibe 50's Telecaster which are made in China and cost about $350 at full retail and a really great price for a solid electric guitar. While any new instrument benefits from a professional set up, many have reported these to be fantastic straight out of the box.

Luckily I have some time to let this all stew as we'll be busy the next few weekends...

October

Taken with instagram

I Love Breakfast: Amish Breakfast Casserole

I tried out this super simple and super delicious recipe for Amish Breakfast Casserole  that I found on AllRecipes.com. This recipe is just begging to be customized with your favorite breakfast ingredients: ham, sausage, peppers, tomatoes, whatever you fancy really. One thing my wife and I did was increase the amount of eggs to 8 instead of 6, just to balance out the egg-to-potato ratio. 

Here's the recipe below, let me know if you give it a try!

Ingredients

• 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Photos: Martha's Vineyard

Took a trip for the first time to Martha's Vineyard this past weekend with the wife and are good friends H & C. What a great way to spend a beautiful Fall New England day! Here are some photos (thanks instagram) from our recent adventure:

 

Happy Columbus Day

Great Geek Chic in Threadless tees $10 Sale

I have long loved often geek-friendly designs of Threadless tees. They semi-regularly have these great $10 sales, and while I have WAY too many tshirts taking up room in my closet, maybe one of these will catch your eye:

We've Got Some Work To Do Now

The Horde

Last Stand

This Is Not My Time Machine

The League of Cliche Evil Super-Villains

Pop Culture

David's Secret Weapon

 

Shot First

Saber-toothed Tiger

The Threadless $10 Sale lasts until Tuesday, October 11 at 10AM CT and popular shirts tend to go fast, so be sure to check early if any of these caught your eye!

Apple

Gizmodo: Reactions to Steve Jobs' Death

I am not surprised so much by the kind things people in the industry, all the way to President Obama, have had to say about Steve Jobs' passing, but rather what people in my more immediate circles on Facebook and Twitter have had to share.

I thank Jobs for giving the world a taste of the future through his company's achievements.

I Love Breakfast: The Best Way to Eat Breakfast at McDonald's

My mouth was watering as I looked at the pictures of this article over at Serious Eats which prominently features my favorite breakfast sandwich from McDonald's: the Bacon, Egg, & Cheese biscuit:
 
The Best Way to Eat Breakfast at McDonald's

It was uncanny how many things I identified with in the first few lines:

• On family vacations, the bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit would be my go-to item for our breakfast stops. 
• The biscuit sandwich, although a calorie-bomb, is one of my guilty pleasures. I work near a McDonald's in Chinatown...every day its a struggle not to "conveniently" pick one up on the way to the office.
• I too have a small wife who has a large love of hashbrowns

Check out the link for the very simple food hack and to check out an all-around stellar food blog.

I Love Breakfast: Scrapple

I love food, but as far as meals go, I love the tasty offerings of breakfast the most. It is the pinnacle of comfort food for me and I just had to devote a series of posts to some of my favorite or just plain interesting breakfast offerings.

I have no idea which Food Network or Travel Channel show I first heard about Scrapple, but I as a lover of American breakfast foods, I knew I had to try it when the Mrs. and I were in a Pennsylvania diner back in August. Let's take a look at Wikipedia for a quick rundown of just what exactly goes into Scrapple:

"Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste."

As delicious as "a mush of pork scraps and trimmings" sounds, it really was tasty, akin to a meatloaf that has been pan fried. Food Network even provides a recipe for those who want to make Scrapple from scratch. The uncooked product sure looks like meatloaf:

 

While I can't say Scrapple is very photogenic, I'd definitely recommend giving this a go if you ever see it on a menu!

Lost compilations

Happy October friends!

As frustrating as a show was it was, I really enjoyed and still miss Lost. What a roller coaster ride of a show that was, but it wasn't without humor. Check out the two compilations below that highlight some fan favorite outbursts:

Compilation of Claire screaming "Baybee" and "Chah-lie"



Compilation of Desmond saying "Brotha"

Soulfire's sampler platter

Photo taken with instragram.