With the Super Bowl coming to Indianapolis, Indiana in a less than two weeks (I live just south of Indianapolis), there are many a commercial that are submitted to get played during the Super Bowl.

A local film making group headed by David Ward got one of their commercial submissions rejected for the Super Bowl. However, they are spearheading an effort to get the Super Bowl Committee to reconsider:

They have my vote! :)

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I’m a sucker for creativity and crazy technical skills when it comes to food (or anything for that matter). So I compiled a list of fantastically creative Gingerbread “Houses” and creations for the holidays. Some of these have tutorials so you may make them on your own, while others are just edible masterpieces that looks far too impressive to munch down on.  

Since the range of the houses is so big, this gallery of Gingerbread Houses are not in any particular order.  Enjoy this feast of Gingerbread!

Happy Holidays from everyone at Livid Lobster!

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I have seen some very well done commercials over the years. However, this commercial from the U.K. certainly is one of the best produced that I have ever seen! It features Weebtabix which is Britain’s most loved cereal and the U.K. dance sensation, Arizona Snow:

And take a look behind the scenes on how they made this cool commercial:

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Nothing screams “drink in the morning” like holidays with the family and the season is upon us! I stumbled on a recipe this year for making the perfect homemade pepper vodka and I can’t describe to you how “fresh” it tasted in a bloody mary compared to infused vodkas or by adding pepper or tabasco to your morning drink. Just a little of the homemade pepper vodka and some tomato juice and you’re in business for the best Bloody Mary you’ve ever had.

The recipe is pretty simple:

• Serrano Peppers
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Anaheim Peppers
• Sun Dried Tomatos
• Pearl or Cocktail Onions

Cut up the peppers and drop them into about a 2 gallon jar, preferably one with a spout at the bottom like the one in the picture. You can get such a jar for about $20 at World Market or look for a “Glass Jar with Spout” on Amazon where prices range from under $30 for a 3-Gallon Unbreakable Beverage Dispenser to over $100 for a beautiful Paris Hammered Glass Beverage Dispenser. (Note: I bought two different models and one had a faulty valve that leaked so make sure it’s tight when you buy it!)

Next, pour 2 liters of plain Vodka over top of the sliced up peppers. I used Smirnoff Triple Distilled but you can use whatever you want. The cleaner tasting the better but there is no need to buy a “premium” vodka either.

Let the concoction sit for about 24 – 48 hrs. Then just pour a little (or a lot) out from the spout, add tomato juice or V8 and you’ll have the best, freshest tasting Bloody Mary ever, just in time for Thanksgiving morning (or Monday morning)! No need to add more pepper, tabasco or anything else.

One word of caution: don’t forget to wash your hands before you touch your face after cutting up the peppers, I still can’t feel the right half of my head.

This post was not sponsored by anyone but please drink responsibly…  :)

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Last weekend I took a trip to the Dallas Farmer’s Market with Lorelle VanFossen and Cali Lewis. While we were there we enjoyed the sights, sounds and free samples of one of the largest Farmer’s Markets in the world.

I had taken along the trusty Canon 1D camera and was snapping away while wandering around. So I thought I would share some of the photos that I took which turned out well. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you do. ;-)

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Here in Texas it is HOT outside! I mean it’s still nearly 100 degrees at midnight during the summer. So, it’s no surprise that Watermelon is a favorite around these parts. If you keep it in an ice chest for a while before you carve it up it makes for a cool refreshing treat!

But there are chefs out there who are using watermelons (and other fruits) for much more artistic purposes! And I was amazed to see some of the things these people can do in a very short time.

Here is Vid Nikolic going to work on a watermelon.

Here is an obviously promotional piece created for a client. Bonus if you wait till the end to see the carver’s (Tiron Gaby from Romania) mustache. ;-)

This carver’s technique is a little different from the others. He seems to start carving the watermelon from the opposite direction, but the result is still impressive!

If you want to learn how to get started, here is a Watermelon Carving Tutorial:

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When I started my 900+ mile drive from the Dallas area to Indianapolis, Indiana I traveled north through Sherman Texas and on up into Oklahoma. I had been hearing about the Choctaw Indian casino for a long time so thought I’d go check it out while I was going by.

Choctaw Casino Here I Come!

I’ve been to another Indian casino in Oklahoma that I didn’t like that much, so I was shocked when I got to Choctwa! It was fantastic! I would honestly say its as nice as half of the casinos in Vegas. And it is brand new and gorgeous! And good lord, the Pool area was amazing! Just check out this clip I shot with my iPhone.

Railroad Tracks, Abandoned Gas Stations and Burned Out Old Trucks

A little while after I left the casino I was driving through a fairly rural section of Oklahoma when I decided to stop a couple of times to take photos that I thought might turn out to be interesting. First, I stopped to take this photo of some railroad tracks.

Shortly thereafter I snagged this photo of abandoned gas pumps.

And then a little while later I spotted this burned out truck. I’ve never seen a trailer rig with so much damage! This thing was completely destroyed.

McDonald’s Over the Highway

The last segment of my trip through Oklahoma took me on the Will Rogers Turnpike (I44), and almost immediately after getting on it you come upon the McDonald’s Over the Highway. It was once the world’s largest McDonald’s, but now it’s probably #3. Anyway I didn’t stop because I heard it wasn’t anything special inside. But it does take you by surprise when you see it, that’s for sure!

Biggest Bass Pro Shops in the World!

While i was in Springfield, MO I stopped by Bass Pro to see the biggest one in the world. This sucker is over 300,000 sq ft. and it is just magnificent!

Lambert’s Cafe and the Throwed Rolls

When I was getting near Springfield I put out a call on Twitter asking where to go, and several of you guys chimed in (Thanks!). Well, thanks to Travis Putman I stopped by Lambert’s Cafe in Ozark, MO. This is a cafe that is famous for their “throwed rolls”.

When I first heard that I thought maybe it had to do with how they prepared the dough or something. NO! They literally walk around during dinner and throw rolls to anyone who wants one! Not only are they walking around flinging pastries at people, they also hand out all you can eat fried okra, potatoes, macaroni & tomatoes… and God only knows what else. And good lord, did you see the size of the drinks they bring you? The rule here seems to be “No one goes home hungry!”

I had the grilled chicken, and it was OK. Though the candied yams that came with it were devilishly good. And the rolls were seriously off the hook. When they toss you a roll, its hot right out of the oven! Soft, tasty, buttery, and worth making the trip for alone. And I found the service to be genuinely exceptional. There were a ton of employees constantly asking if you needed anything else. All in all, its a must see place if you are nearby.

The Gateway Arch at Night

When I finally got into St. Louis it was nearly midnight. It had also been raining and was kind of foggy. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get shots of the Arch in the morning, so I decided to go get some night shots anyway.

When I got to the Arch it was lit up nicely, and I snapped a few HDR photos. Here is what we got…

That’s it for today. More updates tomorrow as I arrive in Indianapolis! Stay tuned…

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A few of you may have had the opportunity to sample my Avgolemono soup, possibly after I posted the recipe about 3 years ago. But now I’ve put together a video demonstrating exactly how to make it. You can get the full details as well as a whole bunch of other recipes over on a new site that Cali Lewis, my wife Holly, and I are launching called – MyRecip.es!

You can follow us on Twitter (@MyRecip_es) for notifications when we post something new, or… if you know us personally and you would like a place to put your own recipes you can come talk to one of us and we’ll make room for you to put your recipes up with ours.

The logic behind the site is that we wanted a single repository where we could put up our favorite stuff so we can access it from anywhere, on any device, and easily share with friends and family. As a result we’ve created a very simple system and you can access each person’s recipes with a single pretty link. For example:

• http://MyRecip.es/Holly
• http://MyRecip.es/Cali
• http://MyRecip.es/John

Now, here is my famous Avgolemono Soup video. Bon appetite!

Oh, and if you want to get access to My Recipes to post your own, there are two requirements:

1. You need to be able to use WordPress. Sorry, I dont have time to train everyone!
2. You have to be serious about posting some recipes! Don’t make me set you up and then do nothing with it! :-)

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Russell “Rockstar” Davis, from RockstarBartender.com, was kind enough to make this completely awesome flaming tequila based cocktail while I videoed it on a Canon 5D Mark II with a 15mm fisheye lens on it. The results are simply fantastic. If you’ve never seen anyone pour flaming liquid 3 feet through the air before, well… let me just say it’s a sight to behold!

Russell also made another special concoction for us on video, and I’ll get that posted as soon as I get a chance to edit it. I have a LOT of photos and videos that need editing right now, but I’ve also got a lot of other stuff going on, so it might take some time to get everything out. But I know you’ll all enjoy this one!

UPDATE:
OH! And I almost forgot! Russell is actually one of four finalists in the country for Bartender of the Year at the Nighclub & Bar Awards in Las Vegas in March! That is out of hundreds of entries! So, I suppose there is no better guy to help you get hammered! ;-) You can also follow along with Russell over on Twitter.

By the way if you like this video, you can thank my friend Mike Paolini who took me to see Russell at Peche in Austin and got permission for us to film and photograph in the bar! Also, he’s the one who took that photo up above (make sure and click through to check it out), all I did was process it.

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Here is just a little video I threw together with my friend AJ Wood while demonstrating how to use a few of the effects in iMovie. Nonetheless, I’ve had a lot of complements on my cheeseburgers ever since I learned how to make them from the guys working the grill at Whole Foods Market in Plano, TX.

You see… what you do is put the cheese on the inside! Yeah. Take a look.

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MUCH thanks to Terry G for forwarding this video on to me. Before I saw this, my stomach was all tied up in knots and I was just an anxious mess. I mean the fact that there are always too many hot dogs, and not enough buns, has been clearly unacceptable!

Come on people! Why can’t Oscar Meyer and Wonder just call a truce and negotiate a settlement on what the proper number of dogs and buns to a package should be! As the person from Kraft said in this video by John Hargrave, “…sir we don’t work together with Wonder….” Well, that’s obvious! But maybe you should my friend! Maybe you should.

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Today I went down to the Boudin Bakery on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco to get some fresh baked sourdough and some of their delicious clam chowder.

When I arrived, there was a group of people huddled around the window where they are usually making the bread. Only this time, a nice young lady was actually talking to the crowd through her wireless microphone system, and taking questions as well.

I was carrying my camera, so I flipped on the video mode and captured the following video. In it, you’ll see how she makes a special bread loaf in the shape of a teddy bear. Very cute, and extremely tasty! Enjoy.

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Whoever said that humans are more evolved than our hairy little cousins in the monkey kingdom is probably the same idiot who taught you how to open a banana… WRONG!

I don’t know about you, but for at least 3 decades I’ve been opening bananas like a, well… cro-magnon. When I should have been opening it like a primate! Here, just watch the video and you’ll see.

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On my Health Challenge, I asked you guys to try and cut the amount of food you are consuming by about half. Some of you probably thought I was crazy! But let me explain why this is such an important part of getting in shape.

It takes 3,500 calories worth of activity to burn one pound of fat in the human body. Now, the average person’s caloric intake should be around 2,000 calories or less per day, meaning that there are almost two day’s worth of food energy stored in a single pound of fat.

More important than simply looking at the storage, if we start talking about how much energy you actually burn in a given day, you’ll quickly see why unless you modify your eating habits, all the exercise in the world won’t help you!

If we refer to the list below, you’ll see that an average 155 person would need to do 7 hours of HIGH impact aerobics in order to burn just a single pound of fat! If you wanted to lose 10 pounds, we’re looking at 70 hours of high impact aerobics. Wanna work a pound off quicker? Four hours of boxing would almost burn a pound of fat…

The point is, if you keep shoving more calories into your system than you are consuming, you are never going to lose weight. You need to only be consuming enough that you aren’t painfully hungry all the time, and let your body tap the excess fat cells for energy in order to burn through them. And if you’re wondering how many calories are in different kinds of food, we’ll scroll to the end of the chart and see…

Now, the good folks over at WiseGeek.com put together a post that shows you how much you food you get in 200 calorie increments for a bunch of different kings of food. It could range from a whole plate of broccoli, to a one ounce piece of butter! So take a look at those and then think back to the exercise chart and what it’s going to take to burn that off!

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I have a love + hate relationship with Amazon. I mostly love them, even though occasionally they do really stupid things. Anyway, I got an e-mail from them reminding me that they actually have groceries for sale. I was like… “what?”

In my mind I was imagining one of those old failed grocery services where they’ll bring stuff right to you. Milk, eggs, whatever! Well, they don’t seem to have that stuff… but they DO have just about everything else.

According to their description of Grocery beta (don’t know why it’s a freaking image):

• We offer more than 45,000 non-perishable grocery items–and our selection is growing every day
• We can ship many products for free, via Super Saver Shipping, Amazon Prime, or free standard shipping
• We have great everyday prices plus Sales & Special Offers on your favorite brands
• We make it exceptionally easy to find products you buy routinely, or to discover new items we think you’ll like

So, whatever you order you can get shipped for FREE (especially if you are a PRIME member like me), plus remember that you don’t pay any sales tax on Amazon stuff…

They also have a nice grocery list function.

…we’re highlighting a feature we call Your Shopping List, which you’ll find under the “Your Lists” link on the top of every page. Your Shopping List makes it easier to locate and keep track of items you purchase routinely–products such as coffee and tea, cereal, paper towels, and cookies.

And if you have items you routinely order, they can automate the process:

Our Subscribe & Save program offers an extra 15% off and free shipping on items you routinely use and keeps them coming every one, two, three, or six months.

One of the important things for me is that we’re always looking for Gluten-free foods at the grocery store. But they are very rare. Imagine my surprise when I found that Amazon has a whole freakin Gluten Free Section! And for health nuts like Terry G. they have a whole Natural and Organic Section.

But that’s not all, they have an International Foods Section including – most importantly – a Greek Food section. That should make my dad pretty happy.

So anyway, I recommend you guys give it a try. I know I’m doing it now…

Oh, and by the way… also have a Blog called Amazon Al Dente’s Blog, which you Foodies out there might find interesting enough to subscribe to. I did.

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I’m not sure where Deviled Eggs got their name, because they taste like they came from heaven! Anyway, for those of you who don’t have a clue how to make these tasty little suckers, I’ve got your hook up!

The hardest part of making deviled eggs is simply boiling the eggs. Seriously. That’s it. So here is the easy way to hardboil the eggs:

• Place a dozen eggs in a large saucepan. Yeah, I said a dozen. Trust me, you’re gonna want them.
• Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by 1 full inch.
• Turn the stove top on high, and bring the water to a boil.
• Remove from the heat source, let it sit for 2 minutes, then cool the eggs with cold water to stop them from cooking.

If you did it right, your eggs won’t be all cracked. And after you cut them in half the yolk will be solid and pasty as opposed to runny. The rest is downhill from here!

Now in addition to your eggs, you are going to need some mayonnaise and some pickle juice. Optionally, you may want to dice up some pickle slices into small chunks to mix in as well, but I don’t recommend it (because I don’t eat veggies).

Now, the next step is to crack your eggs and peel them. I find the easiest way to do this is to gently roll them along the counter to crack the center, then peel them away. If you do it under cool running water, the shells will really come off easily.

As you peel the eggs, you need to use a sharp kitchen knife to cut them in half and scoop the yolk out into a mixing bowl. Keep the white halves on a plate nearby. Oh, and if you rip a couple of the white parts, don’t worry, you need to cut a few of those pieces up and put them in the mix as well.

Finally, once you’ve got all the yolks in the bowl, along with a couple of the whites as well, add in 2-3 tablespoons of pickle juice, 3-4 heaping tablespoons of mayo, and some fresh ground salt and pepper. Then stir with a fork like a mad man!

What you are looking for is a creamy, yet chunky consistency. Feel free to add more mayo, salt or pepper to taste. Then after you’re done, fill those empty egg halves with your mixture, shake a little paprika on it for color. And go to town!

Enjoy!

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Ok, ok. I know what a bunch of you are going to say, so I’ll get it out of the way so you don’t have to…

• This blog is racist! What have you got against Asian food?
• Um, since there are like 2 billion Asians and only a few white people, did you ever consider that maybe YOU’RE the one eating strange food?
• You don’t even eat vegetables do you?

Well, you can comment all you like, but it’s going to fall on deaf ears! I went to the Vietnamese grocery store with my very, um… Vietnamese, sister-in-law, and I snapped these photos of strange foods with my trusty iPhone.

I bet you can’t even identify half of them!

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This evening I ate a 16oz. New York Strip, along with a bunch of other stuff, at The Weber Grill in Chicago. Mmmm! It was tasty.

But as good as the meal was, half the fun was the entertainment value. You see, my buddy Chris from Layered Tech and I braved the -10 degree temperatures and snow to walk 3 blocks to eat there. And when we got there we sat in the bar at a counter overlooking the Grillmeister!

The following photos came from my iPhone while he was preparing our, and many other, steaks. So, here’s to you o’ master of the flames! Budweiser should make a commercial about you.

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This little post goes out to Neal and Cali, the biggest bacon fans I know. Yes Greg, even bigger than you.

So, you’re sitting around one Saturday afternoon, when suddenly your stomach begins rumbling. But you know that it’s no ordinary rumble. It’s the kind that can only be cured with a massive bacon fix! Not a problem.

Here is what you’re gonna do. First, you’re gonna get a muffin pan and turn it upside down and line it with aluminum foil. Or for those of you in the UK, you can use al-u-MIN-ium foil.

Next, you’re gonna weave the bacon into little baskets and wrap them over the outside of the muffin cup.

Finally, you’re gonna put that puppy in the oven and bake until crispy. How long is that gonna be? Don’t ask me. I didn’t make these, I just found them on flickr thanks to Yogma.

Last step? Eat them, silly!

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Months ago when flying into San Francisco, our plane was diverted into a holding pattern a little ways outside the airport due to traffic, and as I watched from the window I noticed that we were circling some sort of massive pools of colored water. They were so vibrant in color that I was amazed, and I took a bunch of photos (and posted them).

What I didn’t know at the time was, that was the Cargill solar evaporation salt production facility. I actually just learned it by watching the TV show “Modern Marvels” that was specifically on salt production. As soon as they began describing the location of the facility I instantly knew what I had seen months ago!

Anyway, the rich colors that you can see in the ariel photography are supposedly due to the microorganisms that live in this heavy concentration of salt water called brine. The brine contains a concentration of about 25% salt, which is about the maximum amount of salt that can actually be disolved in water.

Cargill describes the salt production facility as such:

Solar Evaporation

Solar salt is produced through the natural evaporation of sea water or other naturally occurring brine. Salt water is captured in shallow ponds and allowed to evaporate by means of the sun and wind. During the process, a salt bed forms on the bottom of the pond. The salt is harvested, washed, screened and packaged. The typical solar “crop” takes from one to five years to produce.

So, what they are doing is flooding sea water into these large areas and then basically letting it evaporate away over time and leaving millions of tons of salt behind for harvesting.

This is actually similar to a naturally occurring process which is demonstrated in a few inland bodies of water such as Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the Dead Sea, and other ancient bodies of water. For example, the great salt lake used to be many times larger than it is now. But over time the water has evaporated, leaving the concentration of salt much, much higher than even the ocean. About seven times higher to be exact! In the southern portion of the lake the concentration is about 15% salt, which the northern half is closer to 25%.

You can actually see the difference in the salt concentrations from the satellite imagery in the embedded map below:

And of course, the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats nearby are just another part of the evaporated ancient lake that the Great Salt Lake comes from. The Salt Flats of course being the place that most of the world’s land speed records were set.

Anyway, I know I rambled on a little there and moved from San Francisco over to Utah, but I thought the whole thing was just so cool, starting with the fact that I had actually photographed a salt plant without really knowing it. Hope you guys found it as interesting as I did.

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