Anyone who knows me, knows that there are three things in my life that I couldn’t live without: beer, music and Food Network. Well, I got a chance to combine all three at Double Door with good friends, food and music.

Chicago based Grape Juice Records is celebrating their fifth anniversary of supporting great music regardless of genre. With acts from folk to poprock, Grape Juice decided to celebrate by having a concert.  They booked their roster of artists, and added some special guests. One of their most recent additions to the label is the Baltimore  based …Soihadto…, featuring Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman. His band, along with seven others of the Grape Juice family took the stage.

Highlight of the night? Was it the free beer? No. The three Ace of Cakes stars that each made a musical appearance? No.
(Yes, Duff, Geof and Elena all took the stage that night)

The highlight, much like any party, was the birthday cake. Ever since I found out that this event was to feature a Charm City Cakes creation, all I wanted was cake. Duncan Hines wouldn’t do. Even birthday cake of my couldn’t compare. It was Ace of Cakes or nothing!

Needless to say, I got my cake, I meet some of the coolest characters on Food Network, and I even got to help move the birthday cake. I caught …Soihadto…, The Squaaks (featuring Charm City designer Elena Fox) and a rare acoustic performance by personality extraordinaire Geof Manthorne. It was a crazy night, and I loved every minute of it.

Oh, there was free beer too!

I’m going to start the One Hundred Pushups program on Monday, August 31st.  A new school year, new business ventures, a new office – all things that new and exciting. Some of them are stressful, some a balancing act. But for now, I want to have a measurable goal for the near future.

Six weeks from Monday will be October 12. My goal is maybe not the full 100 pushups, but instead a minimum of 80. 80 Straight pushups. Here goes nothing.

]]> http://www.doubleminded.net/posts/100-pushups-42-days/feed/ 0 http://www.doubleminded.net/posts/100-pushups-42-days/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Doubleminded/~3/EdpUxgOq1DM/ http://www.doubleminded.net/posts/my-duck-fat-fried-birthday/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:56:34 +0000 Aaron http://www.doubleminded.net/?p=101

My wife took me to Hot Doug’s for my birthday. I’ve been wanting for quite a while to take the venture up north. Who doesn’t love a good heart stopping birthday present?! Turns out that it was a lot closer than we thought. In fact, we’ve been going to shows for years just down the street and never knew it was this close.

Hot Doug’s has been featured on numerous television shows, podcasts, and documentaries on extreme foods. While Hot Doug’s is a its roots a hot dog stand, it’s far from everyday.

A staple in the area, Hot Doug’s is most notably known for it’s bizarre fare. Their menu is constantly changing with a featured “Game of the Week” and other less common tube shaped meats. During my visit, the Game of the Week was “The Mountain Man Sausage (A Damn Tasty Combination of Buffalo, Venison, Elk and Antelope) with Cassis Mayonnaise and Sartori Raspberry Cheese .”

A little out there for a first time visitor, but appealing for those of us who have consumed our fair share of Chicago dogs. Other meats include a the Thai chicken sausage, a smoked shrimp and pork sausage, and even The Tueben – a corned-beef sausage with Russian dressing, kraut and Swiss cheese. But the most luxurious item that owner Doug Sohn offers is the Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Sel Gris. Yes, he’s serving a fois gras duck sausage.

And what do you do with all the duck fat you have on hand from making duck stuffed sausage? Fry your fries in it of course!

Fresh cut duck fat fries

Yes, Doug has coined Fridays and Saturdays in his humble little stand “Duck Fat Fry Days.” To some, the idea of cooking fresh potatoes in rendered animal fat is little out there. But to me, it’s tasty. Yes, they are.  Compared to the regular fries, they have a rich, earthy flavor. Still crisp and fluffy, they are very satisfying.

Our dinner consisted of  the Elvis (smoked polish sausage) and the Saucisson Alsacienne (bacon sausage). I ordered the Duck Fat Fries, while the wife opted for the more traditional cheese fries. Everything was great. The bacon sausage literally was like eating a mild pork sausage with the full flavor of bacon to cut through the rich cheese. And onions.

I couldn't wait to take a picture. I just ate it

The Elvis - Smoked Polish

I had a pickle.

The wife had two!

Thanks to my wonderful wife Tasha of Redwall Photo for standing in line (for an hour) with me and taking these pics. Next time, I want at least three animals in my sausage!

Here we go, on our way to Austin. It’s 2 am and we literally just crossed into Oklahoma. My cold is in full force and I’m hoping it’s only due to the late hour. Here’s to hoping.

On the schedule? Not quite sure yet. It all depends on when we get into town, but the GPS shows us at 10:20 am right now. But I have a feeling we’ll be taking  a nap break soon.

Shows we’re excited to hopefully see this week:

• Last Fast Action
• Semi-Precious Weapons
• Kill the Alarm
• Shiny Toy Guns
• Lights
• The Airborne Toxic Event
• Anberlin

Hopefully more videos and updates to come!

So what’s as sweet, salty and crunchy as chocolate covered pretzels without the mess? Chocolate DRIZZLED pretzels. Yes, lay them out, throw some chocolate, wait and eat.

Here’s how I did it:

What you need

• 8 oz. milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 – 1/2 bag of your favorite unflavored, salted pretzels
• 3/4 cup water

 Lay out the pretzels in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with wax or parchment paper.

Place a small sauce pan over medium-low heat with the water. When the water reaches a simmer, place a small to medium glass or metal bowl over the simmer water. Put the chocolate chips in the bowl and stir ever two to three minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, use it and look for a temperature around 120F to 130F. Around 110F, or when most of the chips have melted, turn off the heat and let the remaining steam finish melting the chocolate. Stir for one minute to bring all the chocolate together.

Pour the chocolate into a zip-top sandwich bag and squeeze any air out. Snip a corner from the bottom of the bag and drizzle over the pretzels. Go left to right over the whole pan, the repeat up and down, being sure to cover every pretzel.

Pop the pan into the refrigerator for 30 minutes or 10 minutes in the freezer if you’re impatient like my wife and I. Remove when set, break apart and enjoy. Store leftovers in an airtight container, but there will most likely not be any left for tomorrow.

Needless to say, these hit the spot. My wife’s twitter friends have even been stalking her hoping to get their hands on some.

Miller purchased a one second advertisement during Super Bowl 34. Plain and simple: http://www.1secondad.com/. But what amazed me was that they were actually advertising their Super Bowl ad on the radio instead of their product. Sure, their radio advertisement mentioned their brand name and promoted their product, but their goal was to get people to talk about their unconventional advertisement. And guess what? I’m talking about it.

Just another example of our current economic situation and how businesses large and small are adapting. For the first time since I can remember, my local radio station is advertising to advertisers. A drive home from Indiana left billboards blank, one after the other. Papers are thinner, television is populated by infomercials, and even some television stations are shutting down at night.

So what’s the next one second advertisement? Is it an ad? A website? A bracelet?

Five Guys – Oak Park, Illinois

Five Guys is a new burger chain that has move into the recently renovated Lake Street plaza in downtown Oak Park. Needless to say, their simple decor and menu do nothing to but enhance the experience that is Five Guys.

A quick glance at their website (http://www.fiveguys.com) provided me with a glimpse to their food and business model. Simple, quality ingredients made to order. Burgers, cheeseburgers, bacon burgers and little versions are 90% of their entrée offerings with a couple hot dogs and a veggie/grilled cheese for the herbivores. Below the sandwiches are sides, and most impressively, the 16 FREE toppings. I know I was in for something special.

My order: Cheeseburger with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions and fries.

The burger was tall, featuring two 3.3 ounce fresh ground beef patties with two slices of melting cheese. Finishing if off was a beautifully red (despite being out of season) slice of tomato, a handful of lettuce, a pile of warm grilled onions and the obligatory ketchup and mustard. Now remember, I ordered a cheeseburger, not a double. That’s right. The standard is a double with each patty weighing in just under a quarter pound. The “Little” versions are served as singles.

The burger tasted like a burger with a proper balance of meat, bun, and my carefully selected toppings. Again, anymore toppings and this burger would turn into a mess. My only complaint on construction was that the onions were on the bottom, making it difficult to keep them IN the burger.

Picking this monster up was the biggest challenge. Anymore toppings and I would have been impossible. I’m still not quite sure how some people load it up and not require a big. The burgers themselves were cooked through. Yes, they were cooked through. No pink. It’s a corporate policy that I’m not a huge fan of. But there was a nice crust from the griddle cooking on both. Having watched several burgers being prepared, I saw that they were pressed/smashed at the start of cooking, and only flipped the rest of the cooking process. Thus, a juicy, bun soaking burger is served.

Five Guys’ fresh cut fries are served plain (er, salted in fact) or Cajun. I wanted the standard and went plain. The golden fries tasted like potato in fact, which is more than can be said for most fast food fries, and left little to no grease on my fingers.

Overall, I was impressed. I rarely go to just a burger join for a quick lunch, but would recommend this place if the craving for a double-cheese occupies your every breath. My only criticism is their pricing. This is a chain and are subject to market prices, thus making it not an everyday destination. It’s a great treat for those looking to find an alternative to the drive-thru.

Would you call this a business plan?

Last Fast Action does and so do I.

Duct Tape Marketing

Join Seth and Duct Tape Marketing Mon, Jan 12th, Noon CST to discuss Natural Advantages of Small Business in a Down Market. Register online, and I’ll see you then!

The never ending Myspace profile page is another example of poor interface that has been modified beyond the creator’s original intent. I’ve worked within their rules and outside with design projects for the Chicago band Last Fast Action. It’s not easy. Inline CSS and CSS based positioning require either experts or dumb luck. As a web developer, I cringe at the tables and styles I’m required to insert in the middle of my document to effect the whole page.

Myspace has finally admitted that their users needed some guidance. At first, slew of web-based Myspace editors were created by third parties with background image uploaders, color sliders, and even the ability to remove complete sections. Next, Myspace itself created a profile editor, however, lacking the ability for advanced layout options and live preview.

Enter Myspace’s new Profile 2.0

This full featured profile editor allows users to easily select from 27 templated themes or modify individual elements of their profile individually. One of the nicest features of the customization overhaul is the live preview. Below the AJAX rich customization menus is a full-profile preview that changes by theme or individual elements as they are altered. At the bottom of this article are some screenshots of the interface including the live preview.

The Appearance menu lets you modify:

• The Theme – Includes background image, headers, fonts, colors, and images.
• The Layout – Alter the number of columns (1 or 2) and if there are header or footer sections.
• Advanced Edit – Modify the background image, content alignment, fonts, colors, and spacing.
• CSS – Allows for the proper insertion of CSS based styling into the page.

The Modules menu manages which modules are included on the page.

Here are the current modules:

• Blogs
• Blurbs
• Calendar
• Comments
• Companies
• Details
• Friend Space
• Interests
• Music Player
• Networking
• Schools
• Video Player
• Video Slider

A simple click of the plus sign adds a module to the profile page, and a quick click-and-drag moves it around the page. Up and down the same column, or left and right to new column works. AJAX greatly improves the interface for the profile management.

Each of the modules added on the page also allow for further customization. Sections within the module can be turned on or off, even served differently for friends and non-friends. For example, the Interests module has the following options:

• Privacy – Settings for Everyone, Friends Only, and Just Me ( the logged in user).
• Visible Items – Linking Interests, Show General, Show Music, Show Movies, Show Television, Show Books, Show Heroes

There are also some new features of some of the modules. The Friend Space channel allows for up to 40 displayed friends and the automatic squaring of friends profile images. The Comments module can also be modified with number displayed and original vs. square friend’s profile images.

Another welcome change is the departure of the forever unused “Extended Network” box. Yes, everyone is in everyone else’s extended networks as long as you’re still friends with Tom. But with it’s departure, a new header with multiple images, status, mood, and contact links has take it’s place over the top of the entire profile. I think it looks great and adds much needed usability to the interface.

That’s it for now. Feel free to visit my recently updated profile at myspace.com/techfury2k and friend me. I’m sure tweaks and additions will come as the feedback rolls in. But the biggest lesson that I feel Myspace took away from the Facebook updates was this – Opt In. Users were not thrown into the deep end. You can opt in and are even given 90 days of backup if you decided to roll back. They are ensuring that everything works for the users and for their systems. I look forward to the future of Myspace, and hopefully, a rebirth in user interfaces for the social media networks.

Below are some screenshots of the interface including the live preview: