I tried Kozy Shack tapioca pudding a few weeks ago when I had a wisdom tooth taken out. I was skeptical since I had been raised to believe that store bought pudding is utterly wretched when compared to homemade pudding (made from scratch!). The only times I eat pudding that isn't made from scratch is when I have nostalgia for the blandly sweet school cafeteria pudding with fake whip cream I remember from my otherwise well-spent youth. It's rare, but it happens, and when it does, I usually buy the fake pudding from the cafeteria at work. Maybe someday I'll had nostalgia for the blandly sweet office cafeteria pudding with fake whip cream of my well-spent adulthood.
However, I digress slightly.
So, I bought some Kozy Shack tapioca pudding since I had been advised to eat cold, soft foods after my wisdom tooth extraction. When I tasted he pudding I was VERY pleasantly surprised! It tasted like homemade! Or at least damn close to homemade! When I checked the ingredients I saw why - all natural. No artficial flavors, no fructose/maltose/unpronounceable chemicals. Just straight up milk, eggs, starch, and tapioca, and whatever else goes into homemade pudding.
Today I tried theKozy Shack chocolate pudding, and like the tapioca, it tasted homemade, or at least damn close to homemade. I am now a definite fan of Kozy Shack pudding. This is a very bad thing for my waistline and arteries... But at least now I can have the pleasure of pudding without having to make it myself (which I've never done).
And, looking at the website I see they have banana pudding! I'll have to hunt some of that down.
Mmmm... pudding...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Drinkboston.com interview w/ Josey Packard of Drink
The first few times I went to Drink Josey Packard was the bartender who served us. The first time I went she made me a Vesper, and another time she made me a damn fine Manhattan. So today I was pleasantly surprised to come across this interview with her on Drinkboston.com.
In addition to bartending, she's also a musician and used to be the lead singer of Chelsea on Fire. Who knew?
Oh, and btw, if you haven't been to Drink you should go!! I like to go when it isn't crowded, because a big part of the fun is sitting at the bar and watching the bartenders do their stuff. It's like watching artists or craftsmen. There's no drink list. You either tell them the name of the drink you want, or you tell them what you're in the mood for and they'll serve up a cocktail that fits the bill. One bartender even made up a cocktail on the fly, and it was killer! And if you don't believe me, then you can trust the Boston Phoenix, which declared Drink home of the Best Artisan Cocktail.
In addition to bartending, she's also a musician and used to be the lead singer of Chelsea on Fire. Who knew?
Oh, and btw, if you haven't been to Drink you should go!! I like to go when it isn't crowded, because a big part of the fun is sitting at the bar and watching the bartenders do their stuff. It's like watching artists or craftsmen. There's no drink list. You either tell them the name of the drink you want, or you tell them what you're in the mood for and they'll serve up a cocktail that fits the bill. One bartender even made up a cocktail on the fly, and it was killer! And if you don't believe me, then you can trust the Boston Phoenix, which declared Drink home of the Best Artisan Cocktail.
The Globe interviews Adam from The Boston Shaker!
Through Facebook magic I found this Boston Globe article about The Boston Shaker:
It's very cool to see The Boston Shaker (and Grand) get some publicity!
When Adam Lantheaume began following cocktail culture in earnest a few years back, he'd go around to his favorite bartenders and ask them how he could replicate their recipes. The only problem was a lot of the specialty ingredients and mixing implements they were using weren't readily available for home use. "Whether it was a Boston shaker or a mint julep cup I'd say, where can I get that? No one consistently stocked them," he said. "Or I'd find things that looked good but weren't functional."
It's very cool to see The Boston Shaker (and Grand) get some publicity!
Sip & Shop @ Grand - St. Germain!
This Saturday, May 30th, is Sip & Shop day at Grand! This week the liqueur of choice is St. Germain! Mmmm... St. Germain...
Oh, and everything in the store is 10% off!
So stop by Grand between 2 and 6 PM to get yourself a tasty treat.
(For directions, click on Grand's link in the Links section...)
Oh, and everything in the store is 10% off!
So stop by Grand between 2 and 6 PM to get yourself a tasty treat.
(For directions, click on Grand's link in the Links section...)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Fun at parties
I heard about two party ideas today that I thought were pretty cool.
The first idea is an Iron Alcohol party. Each guest brings the spirit of his or her choice and makes a cocktail. I suppose you could call it an Iron Cocktail party, but Iron Alcohol sounds more hardcore.
The second idea Power Point Karaoke. Each guest must take a random power point presentation downloaded from the web and present it. The more vague the power point presentation, the better, especially if it is on a topic the presenter knows next to nothing about. Or maybe the more vague and technical the better... After all, BS definitions of highly technical terms could add to the entertainment.
Or, maybe if you want a really great party you could combine these two ideas. Round 1 is Iron Alcohol, followed by Power Point Karaoke. Let everyone get sloshed*, then have them bullshit presentations!
*Disclaimer: All participants of an Iron Alcohol party should be of legal drinking age and drink responsibly.
The first idea is an Iron Alcohol party. Each guest brings the spirit of his or her choice and makes a cocktail. I suppose you could call it an Iron Cocktail party, but Iron Alcohol sounds more hardcore.
The second idea Power Point Karaoke. Each guest must take a random power point presentation downloaded from the web and present it. The more vague the power point presentation, the better, especially if it is on a topic the presenter knows next to nothing about. Or maybe the more vague and technical the better... After all, BS definitions of highly technical terms could add to the entertainment.
Or, maybe if you want a really great party you could combine these two ideas. Round 1 is Iron Alcohol, followed by Power Point Karaoke. Let everyone get sloshed*, then have them bullshit presentations!
*Disclaimer: All participants of an Iron Alcohol party should be of legal drinking age and drink responsibly.
Terminator Salvation - Better than expected
I saw Terminator Salvation last night, and it was better than I expected it to be. I think this was mostly due to the action sequences, which were more interesting and at times more suspenseful than in the 2nd and 3rd Terminator movies. It was also refreshing to have the movie set in the hellhole future than in present day Earth. I think that helped them break out of the formula.
As far as the plotting goes, the movie wasn't the best, but somehow was able to hide the plot holes better than other films. One plot point that maybe was originally supposed to be a surprise wasn't, since it was revealed in the trailer. But, even if it hadn't been in the trailer, it would have been preedictable. And, while there wasn't any time travel involved in this film, because it's part of a series that have had time travel, it still had some of those annoying time travel plotting issues.
But, overall, I enjoyed the movie and was glad I saw it. Unlike Star Trek, however, I won't be offering to see it again with any friends who haven't seen it yet.
As far as the plotting goes, the movie wasn't the best, but somehow was able to hide the plot holes better than other films. One plot point that maybe was originally supposed to be a surprise wasn't, since it was revealed in the trailer. But, even if it hadn't been in the trailer, it would have been preedictable. And, while there wasn't any time travel involved in this film, because it's part of a series that have had time travel, it still had some of those annoying time travel plotting issues.
But, overall, I enjoyed the movie and was glad I saw it. Unlike Star Trek, however, I won't be offering to see it again with any friends who haven't seen it yet.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Google Doodle!
Google is taking votes on the best doodle for its website. Doodle for Google 4 is a competition for K-12 students to create a redesigned Google logo for the homepage, and you can vote on the best design in each age group! To learn more and vote, go here: www.google.com/doodle4google/index.html
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wolverine: Saved by Hugh Jackman
I cannot say as many good things about Wolverine as I can about Star Trek. The plot was so-so, with an annoying pointless action by a supporting character that I'm sure was put in just so we could see the supporting character strut his stuff. Lame, lame, lame.
Good things I could say about the movie are these:
1. It's better than the third X-Men movie.
2. Getting Wolverine's back story was interesting, but lately I've found than the "origin" movies of a series such as Batman seems to be more interesting than what follows.
3. It was fun. (But just "fun," not "FUN!")
And, finally, the main reason to see Wolverine was Hugh Jackman, who sadly didn't have much to do in the film acting wise, but still has enough charisma to carry the film. So, go see the film if you're a Wolverine/X-Men fan, and/or you like Hugh Jackman. But I would suggest you try for the matinee showing.
Good things I could say about the movie are these:
1. It's better than the third X-Men movie.
2. Getting Wolverine's back story was interesting, but lately I've found than the "origin" movies of a series such as Batman seems to be more interesting than what follows.
3. It was fun. (But just "fun," not "FUN!")
And, finally, the main reason to see Wolverine was Hugh Jackman, who sadly didn't have much to do in the film acting wise, but still has enough charisma to carry the film. So, go see the film if you're a Wolverine/X-Men fan, and/or you like Hugh Jackman. But I would suggest you try for the matinee showing.
Not my step-father's Star Trek
Friday night I saw Star Trek and was quite happy with it. I am, not however, a Trekkie, or even much of a Star Trek fan, so my enjoyment of the film might be quite different from that of a true fan. In fact, growing up I wasn't all that thrilled with the original series, which my step-father watched almost every Sunday or Saturday afternoon. Maybe I was too young to follow the plots, or maybe it was a case of familiarity breeds contempt. So the latest movie reboot felt like a breath of fresh air.
For starters, it took me a while to get used to seeing actors younger than me playing some of the leads. However, there was a certain charm is seeing the characters start out at the beginning of their careers, most of them fresh out of Starfleet Academy. And, it was great fun to see Kirk as bright ne'er do well skirt chasing bar brawler from Iowa. More sobering, and perhaps this helped anchor the movie, was the depiction of Spock not as someone who's purely logical, but as someone who is struggling to find his way as a half-Vulcan/half-human. To me that seemed more realistic than than the original series's portayal of him. But maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to the original.
I would say Star Trek is worth seeing in the theater, at full price. I would even go so far as to say it is sitter worthy for those of you with children.
For starters, it took me a while to get used to seeing actors younger than me playing some of the leads. However, there was a certain charm is seeing the characters start out at the beginning of their careers, most of them fresh out of Starfleet Academy. And, it was great fun to see Kirk as bright ne'er do well skirt chasing bar brawler from Iowa. More sobering, and perhaps this helped anchor the movie, was the depiction of Spock not as someone who's purely logical, but as someone who is struggling to find his way as a half-Vulcan/half-human. To me that seemed more realistic than than the original series's portayal of him. But maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to the original.
I would say Star Trek is worth seeing in the theater, at full price. I would even go so far as to say it is sitter worthy for those of you with children.
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