Few things in life turn out to be as good as their name, but Punkin Chunkin is definitely one. Every year, a bunch of people get together to see just how far they can throw a pumpkin. You are probably thinking it’s a strongman competition where giant Swedes throw gourds over a 20 foot wall. No. It’s much better than that. The classes in the competition merely hint at the insanity - Air, Centrifugal, Catapult, Trebuchet, Human Power, Human Power Centrifugal, and Torsion Catapult. I could go on, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Check these out…
Just how far are we chunkin these punkins? The world record currently stands at 4434.28 feet, a little under a mile. Are you kidding me? The event is held in Bridgeville, Delaware from October 31 - November 2 this year. Count me in. I’ll blend in perfectly…
I have had a picnic in my apartment the past three days in a row. Radishes, cucumber, grapes, apples, almonds, water crackers, baguette, pate, prosciutto, chicken and tons and tons of cheese. Wash down with a bottle or two of wine. Repeat as necessary.
When I think about a picnic, chicken is the first thing that comes to mind. I decided to try a new Deviled Chicken Drumsticks recipe last night. The recipe says it serves 6 as an entree. Umm. This chicken is so good that two of us plowed through it in record time. And it’s insanely easy, only 15 minutes of active cooking time. Can be served hot or cold. This is a real winner.
The ingredients are awfully simple. Get 2 1/2 - 3 pounds of good quality chicken drumsticks. I used D’Artagnan which I bought at the local supermarket. If you haven’t had it, their chicken is nothing short of incredible. It makes a huge difference in any recipe. Pat the drumsticks dry and coat in Dijon mustard. You then coat the drumsticks in a breading that is equal parts panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, along with salt, pepper, couple tablespoons of melted butter and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. You then roast in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until the chicken has browned.
It will look exactly like this. Chicken on deck!
If you haven’t read it yet, pick up the August 2008 copy of Gourmet magazine - the one with a cheesecake on the cover. It’s the best issue I’ve read in a while, most notably for some amazing stories, but it also has great pepper recipes. That hit a nerve since I have 24 pepper plants in the Shambaugh Victory Garden
In the 40’s and 50’s, every issue of Gourmet magazine featured cartoons. They posted a bunch on their site which I got a kick out of. Check them out.
I’m not sure what rock I’ve been hiding under, but I recently discovered a band called Cut Copy and can’t get enough. I particularly like a song named ‘Going Nowhere’. Check out the music video:
And maybe it’s just me, but that song reminds me of ‘Goodbye Horses’ by Q Lazarus, you’d probably know it best from Silence of the Lambs. Am I crazy?
Radiohead just came out with a new video for their song “House of Cards” off the album In Rainbows. The interesting thing about the video is that no cameras were used. Instead two technologies were used to capture 3D images: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. “Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes.”
Watch the Making Of Video:
Watch the Video:
I’ve been trying to figure out how to relay this tale for a couple of days now. Still not sure I have it nailed, but the story must get out….bare with me as it’s a long and sordid tale.
A small cadre of your friendly neighborhood Dukes lit out this past Saturday for a tranquil day to be spent plying the waters of Peconic Bay on the Sea Senorita. It was a perfect stage….hot, sunny and with ample wind. We had our chippery laid up, plenty of water, a bandoleer of sailing juice and cruised on over to the protected slip where the sloop laid awaiting. It was an auspicious start, the sort of day that gives you a tingle in your stomach, an innate comfort. Like suckling at the teet of life; a knowledge that, yes son, good will ultimately triumph over evil, pie does trounce cake and god-damn-it the natural order of the universe works.
So you can imagine our surprise when we got to the slip and found no sign of the noble craft. No boat. No mast. No nothing.
It was like loosing your breaks at the top of the hill…pump pump pump, but nothing left save shrieking and ruin. Or the sinking doom of a refrigerator burglary most grievous; you’ve just gotten home after working 18 hours straight and, no matter where you look in the fridge, that last damn beer you had so skillfully camouflaged as a condiment is gone. And the flurkin store is long closed. It’s a sinkhole of despair that wrenches open one day just close enough to your split-level SoCal trackhouse to gobble up your garage and menace, day by day closer. Bringing with it the slow, tumbling, hungry certitude that this spring’s vinyl siding, and the new putting green you fought for and which now sits directly between you and the yawning maw, were not, after all, the wisest investments.
Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that horrible, but you get the picture - it sucked.
Now, when it comes to a general perpetration of laid-back grooviness, the Dukes always try to excel. But we can also spring into action like a scalded ferret when the situation requires. And spring we did. We scoured the cove, interviewed neighbors, interrogated gulls and very aggressively scratched our heads. “Would be an odd thing to steal”, we mused, “not worth a whole lot, no sails aboard and such”. And there’s no reason it could have run afoul of the local authorities; twas safely resting in our good chap WB’s slip, which is deeded to his house. And he sits on neighborhood home owner’s association, which can’t hurt.
Nope, we concluded, only one thing is possible: the Sea Senorita fell victim to a dastardly sabotage sortie by rival running club Los Compadres.
We’ve long known the feral deeds they’re capable of, with their speedy ways and their unflagging spirit. I’ve always suspected that news of a DOFB naval acquisition would be met with clear understanding. The Compadres are students of the game and would have to innately grasp the precipitous shift in the NYRR balance of power that only naval superiority could evince.
Yup, they must have paddled her out and scuttled her to protect themselves. Almost can’t blame them really.
So off we trundled to the Shelter Island Police Department to file a report and express our grievances. After some sleuthing we were even more astounded, appalled even, to learn that no, the Sea Senorita had not met with a fiery/wet end. In fact, she currently resided at a town mooring for floating scofflaws. Yup, the sweet ‘rita had been impounded!
It turns out that there was far less, ahem, clarity regarding the ‘rita’s accommodations than we understood to be the case. In point of fact, some nice lady is quite sure that the slip in question belongs to her. The floating constables had spent some days trying to ascertain to whom the boat belonged, but were unable to track us down on account of the visible registration being long expired and in another’s name (the Sea Senorita is sub 17′ and, having no external propulsion, is exempt from registration requirements under NY boating regulations).
To further complicate matters, the kind maritime officer Pete told us that he was unable to release the boat without solid proof of ownership. Title was far out of hand and we were momentarily stymied. “Hmmmm, well, Pete, do you have a computer at the station we can use for a second?” we asked. He said sure and we were admitted to the inner sanctum of the SIPD whereby we pulled up this very blog and drew his attention to the initial Stable Report post on the ‘rita.
There was no doubting the authenticity, heck, Fayth was there and Graham was even wearing the same jaunty hat. Pete chuckled and said that, while unorthodox, it might just do. We printed out a copy of the entry, stapled it to the complaint report and, after some further paperwork, an explanation of our creed & general dedication to good times, the pivotal naval role the Sea Senorita plays in said, not to mention a topical overview of the Dukes of Flatbush campaign for world domination, Pete was convinced that she did indeed belong to us and should be returned forthrightly. Or maybe it was the “FREE THE ‘RITA” chants that seemed to spontaneously ring out across hill and dale.
Whatever the cause of our emancipation, it was with thudding hearts that we watched the Sea Senorita freed from her solemn purgatory. Pete was a hell of a guy and expertly towed us out of the Deep Impound Cove (ed: so deep) and into the harbor. He also lent us an anchor on account of his concern for our maritime safety. All in all, he helped us make the best of a shiza situation so we could salvage our day with the only tonic that mattered: the windy, curative balm of a delightful sail.
The saga continues. Ownership determination of the slip will likely involve some wrangling on the part of our dear friend. I’ll be appearing in early August to relay the tale and plead for the leniency and good humor of the court. And, for now, the ‘rita is once again trailer-bound.
But the important part is that we have the ‘rita back. Our naval stratagem is preserved, we’ll live to sail another day and the very presence of this blog made it all possible. Res Firma Nitescere Descit
The only thing I love more than cheese is potatoes. Put the two together, and you’re a speaking my language. A year or two back, I picked up a bunch of cast iron mini cocottes made by Staub.
They are pretty handy for a range of recipes like chili or mac n’ cheese, but I’ve been focusing on gratin dauphinoise. I have been experimenting a lot over the past year and think I finally cracked the code. Feast your eyes on this:
I don’t have a formal recipe, but this is super easy. I rub the cocotte with a garlic clove and butter. I then add layers of thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes. If you have a mandoline, use that to slice the potatoes. It’s not too difficult to achieve a similar effect with a chef’s knife, it’s just a lot more time consuming. After each layer, I add a tiny dollop of butter, a few finely chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Repeat until you have nearly reached the top of the cocotte. Mix equal parts whole milk and heavy cream, add that mixture to the cocotte so you have completely covered the potatoes. Top with Gruyere cheese. One tip: I place a sheet of aluminum foil on the oven rack directly underneath the potatoes to catch run-off - saves a lot of hassle, especially if you have sensitive smoke detectors. Cook at 375 degrees for around 30 minutes or until the cheese crust is bubbly, a little blackened.
I specialize in potato recipes and this has quickly become one of my all time favorites. One of the nicest things about the dish is the aroma of the green onions as you pierce the various layers. It’s irresistible. I am going to try a few new things for kicks: substitute jalapenos for green onions, add a few layers of pancetta but this recipe is a crowd pleaser.
You should get involved.
Being a kid is just so damn cool. You don’t have to work and you are virtually indestructible - you can spend all of your free time jumping BMX bikes over cars. If that isn’t enough, you get to watch all sorts of awesome TV. I grew up a devotee of Sesame Street, Zoom and The Muppet Show. Sesame Street is still going strong and had Feist on the other day performing a funny version of 1-2-3-4. Check it out - this rules.
I planted every pepper variety I could find from the nurseries on the North Fork of Long Island: green bell, red bell, yellow bell, orange bell, purple bell, cubanelle, paladin, cayenne, poblano, jalapeno and habanero. 24 plants in total = Peppertown USA.
Although I am a big fan of peppers, I can’t say I personally cook with them all that much. I like to stuff bell peppers with a sausage breadcrumb mixture, make an occasional spicy Thai soup, but I don’t have a vast repertoire. Given that it’s about to rain peppers, I have got to get my house in order.
My first foray will be to make the perfect Jalapeno Popper, a favorite guilty pleasure. There is an incredible farm on the North Fork named Catapano that makes some of the best goat cheese I have ever tested. I think that cheese, jalapenos from the Shambaugh Victory Garden and a light tempura batter are going to produce a real winner. We’re also growing a lot of tomatoes and some really hot peppers so Salsas are a given. But what next?
If you have a great pepper recipe, please post a link in the comments section. I’d love to try a number of recipes and could really use the help!
The Dukes are gearing up for our Reach The Beach relay race in mid September. I’ve recently begun to slowly target my running towards the goal of being able to effectively run 3 legs of varying distance in a 24hr period. It’s kind of a wonky requirement and I’ve been at a bit of a loss on how best to tailor a program. Fortunately I came upon this bit in July’s Runner’s World (pg. 40):
Q: How should I train for a road relay in which I’ll run about five miles three times in 24 hours?
A: Train as you would for a half-marathon, but add these strategies: (1) Do two-a-day runs of five miles each at least once a week starting six weeks before the event. (2) Run a hilly route once a week to increase overall leg strength. (3) head out for a few runs in the dark (with friends, reflective gear and a headlamp); night runs are an inevitable part of the relay experience. (4) Find foods you can digest easily because you’ll be eating at all different times of the day and night.
The cumulative mileages vary for each runner on the RTB team and some will log a good deal more than 15 (more like 20-22). But this seems like sound advice and a good place to start. Seeing as the author is Sean Coster, I’m guessing he knows what he’s talking about. I can’t say as I’m looking forward to initiating 2 x days much, but think I’ll get cracking on that this week. My dogs be barkin’ just thinking about it.
Stay tuned for more Dukes RTB updates from our RTB Captain: The New Guy.
The Victory Garden is at full cruising speed and starting to yield fruit. We harvested a first round of succulent cukes this past weekend, as well as some delicious green beans and kickin’ romaine. But the real news is all about mulch.
After hours spent toiling in the hot sun doing battle with weeds, we finally wised up and mulched the f out of virtually all of the garden. The results are damn fine to behold and should dramaticly reduce the amount of weeding required to ensure intended plant primacy. It’s our garden, we play god and we decide the natural order. We hope…
Peppertown USA - a great place to live with an excellent school system.
Prized Tomato Trellis; trespassers will be drawn and quartered by order of The White Witch.
Basil patch right next to the tomatos for gustatory convenience. If we could grow a prosciutto bush, a mozzarella plant and a Rose vine in the same plot, I’d never leave the property.
Imagine seeing a unicorn running through Times Square shooting $100 bills out of it’s magical money shooting horn. Pure bliss. That’s what watching this video is like…
We take a break from our normal programming to discuss the New York Mets. The Mets are on fire as they head into the All Star Break and this hot streak is a long time coming.
They have won 9 in a row, have 4 shutouts in their past 6 games and have come back to within 1/2 game of 1st Place.
Let’s hope these guys can keep their act together over the All-Star break and keep their winning ways in the 2nd half of the season.
I know these were a long time coming, but I think worth the wait. Here are some candid shots of us crossing the finish line. Have to love the faces after 13.1 miles
Update - Now with 100% more Eve
Enjoy
For obvious reasons, this part of the movie Super Troopers has been getting a lot of play lately in my circle of friends. A classic.
UPDATE: Just ran across this remake which is funny in it’s own right…
DOFB
