when i finally get another job, i want to be martha stewart

i decided when i got home from tour i would just try to relax a little. if you know me, you may think this is a good thing because usually i'm working 3 jobs, running around like a maniac and missing out on everything fun. it feels like my first summer vacation ever and i love it.

last saturday started with a cemetery screening of 16 Candles. i was sort of devastated that kime missed it (she was in chicago having an art opening) because she is the only other person i know who freaks out as much as i do about the soundtrack. the REAL soundtrack. the one when you rent it is a gyp. the only way to hear the real deal in all it's glory is to borrow it directly from universal pictures (or so i've heard) and it was totally worth it. all those times i've watched the film (post seeing it in the theatre as a kid) i have these moments where i think, "that's the wrong music, wait...am i making that up?" but i wasn't, and it is AWESOME and i wish everyone i know could have been there...

fran was there

and we know how to throw a picnic...

after-wards we headed to chinatown to see friends bands WE ARE THE WORLD and ARP. the directions were like a treasure map, all secret passageways, walk 10 paces, turn left at the dumpster, watch out for wobbly cobblestones, look for the red door, go down the black staircase...we found ourselves in a dark, steamy basement surrounded by crazy dancers in wild costumes. and then there were the performers...

we are the world

ARP

after we danced ourselves soaked with sweat, we hightailed it over to LITTLE RADIO for the HIT + RUN party. it was, as the kids would say, "off the hook". free drinks, free custom silk-screened t's, free photo booth...PLUS i got to witness the emergence of FRAN THE SERIAL PHOTO CUDDLER.

what "off the hook" looks like

free drinks

free shirts

fran cuddling her pal henrick

fran cuddling up on miss britt

fran cuddling up on some random dude

fran on moi

invisible cuddle? no is fran

fran's face has "i love you, i hate you" written all over it. those last drinks were a BAD idea.

i look mighty confused. i was even more confused when i woke up in my car the next day (never drive drunk!)

despite an epic sunday hangover (day of rest!), fran and i managed to turn out quite a bbq. she made a bunch of yummy salads, bought salmon and steaks for the grill and told me to get my ass over there to make some sauces and sober up with a few more cocktails. well, ok.

i wish i had pictures but we'll do it again soon and my brain will probably be working by then.

summery salmon sauce:

1 avocado (firm) diced

1 mango diced

1/2 red onion diced

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 handful cilantro, chopped

3 limes or lemons, halved

salt & pepper to taste

throw everything in a bowl, squeeze enough lemon or lime juice over the mixture to cover, stir everything up, salt and pepper and throw in fridge so the flavors can mingle a bit while you grill the fish. spoon over fish. eat. 

bourbon-ed cherry bbq sauce for steak:

ok, this one was definitely an experiment. i had a bunch of cherries in my fridge i was dying to use for SOMETHING...not sure if you could really taste the bourbon in the final product but it was pretty yummy regardless. i would maybe soak the cherries in the bourbon overnight if i had more time...

big handful of cherries, halved and pitted

red onion, very thinly sliced (not too much onion, i did prolly 1/4 of an onion)

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

drizzle balsamic vinegar

bottle store-bought bbq sauce

bourbon

salt & pepper

throw the pitted cherries in a bowl and cover with bourbon (using something with a bit of bite, knob creek say, might work better than the too-mellow jim beam that i used)

drizzle a little olive oil in a pan and add the onions and garlic, cook until soft. drizzle a little balsamic in there and cook a bit more. dump the cherries and bourbon in the pan and cook until liquid is evaporated and cherries swell. stir in bbq sauce (maybe half the bottle) and heat through. salt and pepper to taste, and add a little more bourbon if you like or if the sauce seems too thick. spoon over sliced steak (i like it med-rare).

make yourself one of these before you sit down to eat:

prosecco blackberry muddle

fill glass with ice

fill 3/4 full with prosecco

throw 2 big ripe blackberries in the glass

crush a sprig of mint and throw in the glass

muddle the blackberry & mint a little

top with ruby red grapefruit vodka

squeeze of lemon

drink

die happy