Finally...the Elvis Cupcake!!

Well, Lone Reader, I am slowly getting up to speed. Some freak illness is causing big time headaches but my energy is coming back. But enough about me, what you REALLY want to know is...will the Dow ever crack 10,000 again? Will Sarah Palin's grandchild be named Shootin' Not Putin? or is it how was the Elvis Cake?? I thought so.

I decided to make Elvis Cupcakes, just because I didn't want to get stuck with something really unwieldy in case I needed to foist it off on co-workers. So what makes this an Elvis Cupcake? Peanut butter cake, with banana buttercream frosting, drizzled in chocolate, sprinkled with a mix of grey sea salt, turbinado sugar, codeine, Valium, morphine, and Demorol, and crowned with a lovely piece of bacon. That, and it will give you a coronary. Okay, I made up some of that...

The verdict is in: TASTY! And good to be in cupcake size, as you'll really only want one - it's pretty dang rich. The kids wolfed them down, as did my other test subjects. The bacon and banana combo wasn't off-putting like I thought it would be. Or maybe it was just overwhelmed by everything else going on.

There's no recipe, per se, as I was mainly winging it.
1. Make your fave yellow cake, but add about a cup of smooth peanut butter. Bake into cupcakes and cool completely.

2. While the cake is cooling, cook up some bacon pretty dang crispy and cool.

3. Make buttercream frosting, but add a very ripe banana, mashed super smooth. My frosting here is about 2 sticks butter at room temp, 4 cups of sugar, milk and banana. (I usually make frosting with whole milk, but didn't have any so I used a smidge of the 2% evaporated milk...it was fine.) Don't add a pinch of salt, 'cuz it's coming later.

4. Melt dark chocolate (or whatever you've got) for drizzling. Mix 1 part coarse sea salt with 5 parts turbinado sugar in a little dish.

5. Frost generously, drizzle with melted chocolate, sprinkle with the sugar/salt mix and garnish with a good sized piece of bacon.

There you have it...a peanut butter, banana, chocolate, bacon cupcake! Delish, baby!

Quote from the doctor

"no mono, no strep...let's just wait and see if your head cracks open...call back in a week if you're still sick."

Blecch

Still sick...doctor said, "Hmmm...let's drain you of blood and see what happens." Stink.

Feelin' Crummy...la dah dee dah dah dah dah

I'm going to the dr. tomorrow. Sick enough to go to a doctor is pretty dang sick in my book. Stink. No posts, even though I thought of two very funny true stories in my delusional, addle-brained state. Sigh. I hope the doctor doesn't lace into me about my nutritional habits - who sez that cashews and Tab aren't a fit breakfast?

Concert review

So, last night was the Weezer show. Tokyo Police Club and Angels & Airwaves opened. I missed Tokyo Police Club, but sadly, saw all of the Angels & Airwaves set. It was truly wretched…a classic example of “I am a rock star” preening and posing. It was so self indulgent and ridiculous that it’s difficult to describe. At one point the lead singer Tom DeLonge danced around in slo-mo while holding some kind of flashlights. He also put a laser helmet on and shines freaky green lasers into the audience. For I second I got excited because I thought it was maybe going to turn all Laser Floyd, but alas, it was still Angels & Airwaves. (It’s a baaad show when Laser Floyd sounds like an improvement.)

Weezer, however, brought it big time. They were amazing! I love to see musicians perform who appear to actually enjoy what they’re doing. Nothing is worse than whining, dour diva performers. (Okay, maybe Angels & Airwaves is.) Rivers and the gang seemed to be genuinely having fun, playing crazy nerdy, defiant power pop. The crowd lapped it up. I was beyond happy and jumped most of the entire show. Plus it was at the x, which is a) close to my house and b) such a great place to see a concert. Two Springsteens and I’ll raise you a Weezer – fab, baby.

So what’s next? I dunno, Lone Reader. No big concerts on the horizon. I’d really like to go see Ben Folds at Myth, but I can’t really swing the $30 right now. sigh

I know I’ve already written about this, but more detail from the Elvis Costello website:

As the leaves turn and the mercury steadily drops, it's time again to turn our thoughts to one of the most special times of the year. Yes, it's nearly time for the return of tinsel and wreaths, stockings and eggnog, and all the trappings of the annual television holiday special season!

Regardless of your religion, a good Christmas TV special can bring us together like nothing else. With that in mind, we are thrilled to announce Elvis Costello's participation in what is sure to be the Christmas television event of the millennium.

On November 23, tune in to Comedy Central for "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!" Comedian and former Presidential candidate Stephen Colbert will be joined by musical guests Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend, Willie Nelson and of course, longtime friend of 'The Colbert Show' Elvis Costello for an evening of song and cheer.

"A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!" will be available on DVD November 25, and since it is the Christmas season (kind of), a portion of the proceeds will benefit the charity Feeding America. The DVD also includes extras such as a "book burning Yule log" that will brighten up any Christmas with the glow of the embers of "The Da Vinci Code."

Peace out, Lone Reader! Keep hope alive! Ramp it up!

My RSS Feed - Random Stupid S*#!

Mr. Clean died yesterday at the age of 92. I’m sitting shiva by covering my floor with a layer of Legos and dog hair. He is survived by his wife Mrs. Meyer, daughter Caldrea and twin grandsons, Spic and Span. Mr. Clean’s brother, a custodian, has been incarcerated in a drum for decades and was unavailable for comment.

I started the day with bacon and Tab. It’s gonna be a good day. Tomorrow, WEEZER!!

I am very excited about the debate tonight, but I’m nervous for Joe Biden. It’ll be easy to look too aggressive, too tough and like he’s beating up on a girly-girl. I’ll be watching, 4sure. Let’s hope that Gwen Ifill really puts hard questions out there and demands answers. And Joe, watch the clock, Mr. Loquacious!

Believe it or not, msn.com has an article about how to select beer based upon your astrological sign. Mine is Cancer: OK, it is time for you to veer away from the traditional lager. This autumn, celebrate with a brown ale, such as Newcastle Brown Ale. It is nutty with a whisper of sweet, and it will not leave you dangling outside of your comfort zone. It is brewed with "top-fermenting" yeasts at 15-25 degrees Celsius and will leave you feeling refreshed. Give it the old college try! This may be the very first time in my life that I have actually followed the suggestions of an astrologist.

WOW have you seen the latest Al Franken ad?! It begins, "Al Franken sank these ships...crashed these trains...and he hates puppies." Doggone it, I like him. Watch the YouTube of it here.

Keep on keepin' on, Lone Reader!

Watch your back, Damien Hirst!

Here comes David Ottogalli, master of the Peep as medium. Maybe we could send this as a Trojan horse to Sarah Palin and she could eat until her teeth fell out...

See more of Ottogalli's amazing, obsessive work at peepshow.