Pictures via Flickr
Yup, I now have a Flickr account. Currently you can find some pictures from my trip to Mount Hamilton last June and the 10" of snow that fell on Thursday, December 7th.

snow, Snow, SNOW!
Current conditions in KC as of 8:50am on this Thursday, December 08, 2005:
Temp: 7F/-14C Windchill: -4F/-20C ... and anywhere from 8" to 12" of snow in areas.

BynkFamily Little Pizzas

• 2 bundles Green Onions
• 2 small cans Chopped Black Olives
• 4 cups Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Curry Powder
• Snack loaf of rye or sourdough breads (usually found in the deli area)

Broil until the cheese melts. Addictively yummy!

Note: These are guesstimations. You may need to tweak the mayo to cheese to curry ratios.

On tonight's menu: Gyros

The sauce:

• 6oz yogurt
• 2tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup grated cucumber
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

The meat:

• 1.5 lbs ground beef (ground pork would do too)
• 1tsp paprika
• 1.5tsp chili powder
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 1tbl oregano
• 1tsp fennel seed
• Dash of Worcester Sauce

Serve on/with:

• Gyros (or tortillas in a pinch)
  
• Slices of cucumber
• Slices of onion
• Pepper Jack cheese

Mix and grill and serve:

1. Mix the sauce and refridgerate for one hour.
2. Hand mix the herbs and spices into the meat and form into patties.
3. Grill the patties.
4. Slice up the patties.
5. Put it all together with the gyro, cucumber, onion, cheese, and sauce. YUM!

Join the Charles Darwin Posse!

I can see Kris and Lisa's house from here! (Lick Observatory, Mt Hamilton, San Jose, CA)

Unfortunately, Google Maps just shows a big batch of fuzz.

Geek Trap!
Move your mouse.
Roll the dice.
Build the trap.

Don't worry. They say its humane. Kills 'em dead, instantly. As you can see, it helps to place a bit of geek bait in the trap.


Here it is disguised as a couch.



You are the rare, the overlooked, yet incredibly useful dodecahedron: the d12. You are a creative, romantic soul. You often act without thinking, but make up for your lack of plans with plenty of heart. You easily solve problems that stump others. You can be silly at times and are easily distracted by your own day dreams, but are at the end of the day you're someone who can be depended on.

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

Recipe Links
Here's a list of my recipes posted here.

• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Kiwi-Apple Salsa
• Thai Style Chicken and Noodles
• Shrimp and Sausage Wraps
• Bynk's Lemon Chicken Fajitas
• Chocolaty Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Ginger and Garlic Eggplant Chicken
• Curried Veggies

Chicken Tikka Masala

• 1.5 lbs of chicken
• 6 cloves of garlic (marinade)
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (marinade)

• 1 yellow onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 6 cloves of garlic (pureed sauce)
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (pureed sauce)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon curry paste (Patak's, hot)
• 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• A few pinches of salt
  

1. Marinate chicken breast in puree of ginger and garlic for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
2. Puree ginger, garlic, onion, and bell pepper.
3. Saute chicken.
4. Add puree, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tumeric, paprika, salt, cumin, black pepper, and curry paste.
5. Simmer for 30 minutes.

As seen on BoingBoing.net!

I recently read Cory Doctorow's latest short story, "I, Robot". It is a great homage to Asimov, with some current themes... Beyond the fact that Asimov's "I, Robot" seems like a recently written book (1950).

A list of what Cory has written can found on his website. A few of his writings are in the Creative Commons and free to download: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and A Place So Foreign and Eight More, Four Walls Eight Windows.

Cory is one of the creators of www.BoingBoing.net-- More info about Cory:
I'm the European Affairs Coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). That involves my living in London, England and spending 2-3 weeks a month on the road working to see to it that the public and geeks don't get a raw deal in technology standards, treaties and laws.

Other Free eBooks:

• Push Patterns by Jay Campbell
• The SciFi/Fantasy publisher Baen has some of their backlist for download. I suggest reading Flint's reasoning behind the Free Library, found on the home page.
• The Gutenberg Project
• In some cases, Gutenberg offers free audio version: H.G. Wells
• Cory Doctorow on Gutenberg
• One of Cory's talk about eBooks can be found on Gutenberg:
  http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11077

Thai Style Chicken and Noodles
Found a tasty restaurant near Bbblake's loft named Lulu's Thai Noodle Shop. Eating their yummy fare inspired me to try my hand at some Thai noodles. I found the following recipe and tweaked it a bit. Share and enjoy!

Adapted From About.com

• 1 lb chicken breast, diced
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon oil

• 3 carrots, peeled
• 2 bell peppers, red/green, cut into strips
• 2 bunches green onion
• 2 tablespoon peanut oil

• 1 lb cooked linguine

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Marinate chicken breast in lime juice, salt, and oil for 2 hours.
2. Peel and then shave the carrots lengthwise into very thin strips using a peeler. Cut bell pepper into strips. Mince green onion. Set aside
3. Boil linguine in a large pot until done.
4. Mince garlic. Grate ginger. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili sauce. Stir until well-blended. Reduce heat and simmer 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and keep warm.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Sauté chicken breast until done. Keep chicken in peanut sauce to keep warm.
6. Add more oil to skillet (if neccessary); and sauté green onion, bell pepper, and carrots until tender.
7. Toss vegetables, chicken, and peanut sauce in a large bowl.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Makes about 8 to 10 servings.

You scored as Nerd Cat. Holy crap, poindexter. Try buying some new specs instead of taping them together. Yeah, Bill Gates made a lot of money, but he's also the devil. You've got a long way to go. Nerd Cat 100% Derranged Cat 83% Drunk Cat 83% Love Machine Cat 75% Ninja Cat 67% Couch Potato Cat 58% Pissed at the World Cat 17% Which Absurd Cat are you? created with QuizFarm.com