Below you will find a picture he drew for me of a monster, the set of pictures I took at his birthday party, and 2 videos of Evan dancing. The first video was made from pictures taken by me. The second video is the actual footage taken by Evan’s aunt during his dance. (pictures and videos best seen using full screen feature)

Originally a black & white photo. I messed with the contrast and tinted the image a dark blue.

Here are some more pictures from maui…

In my house growing up, however, there were far less ways to cook shrimp. Only three ways to be exact. The reason is my mother’s dislike for seafood. She only eats shrimp if they are fried, so that is one way. The second way is “a la Diabla” which literally translates to “the devil’s way”. The shrimp are sauteed with onions and chipotle sauce. “Mojo al Ajo” is the third shrimp recipe which is prepared in a garlic butter sauce.

The following recipe is my twist on the garlic butter sauce and devil’s shrimp recipes:

What you’ll need:

• About 12-15 Shrimp, cleaned deveined
• 2 tbsp of olive or corn oil
• 2 tsp of lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 3 tbsp of cilantro, diced
• 1 tsp of basil, paprika, parsley (dried or fresh),  and dried oregano
• 3-5 chile de arbol (REMOVE STEM, DO NOT BREAK)
• 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed

First heat up a skillet, lightly coat in oil. Once Skillet is hot, place shrimp. Salt and pepper lightly. You want to make sure the shrimp are seared. Add the chile de arbol then remove from heat. Toss the contents of skillet, while adding garlic and half of butter. Place skillet on low heat while slowly stirring in remaining butter, spices, and lemon juice. Taste butter sauce for flavor. Add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat once butter sauce is reduced (about one to two minutes).

I decided to plate my shrimp on top of lettuce and tomato pouring the butter sauce like a dressing. You can also add shrimp to white rice making a pretty good rice bowl.

WARNING: Chile de Arbol can be a very spicy chile. The heat comes from the seeds inside. I recommend not breaking the chiles while cooking. Toasting the chiles in the oil will cause them to create a very spicy smoke if left in too long. Try using one or two chiles if you are not sure what I am talking about.

Andrew ended up making a Mexican inspired pizza that was both unique and tasty. From all the ingredients he used, the Mexican mole sauce was the biggest surprise. Mole sauce is a little sweet, tangy, and very earthy like a spicy peanut butter. I know that doesn’t sound too appealing, but buy a small jar to add to some roasted chicken then let me know what you think.

The process used to make the pizza is the same as in the previous post on making pizza.

The ingredients Andrew used for his pizza were:

• Grilled Eggplant
• Grilled Green Bell Pepper
• Mexican Blend Cheese (Shredded)
• Dona Maria Mexican Mole Sauce

The first picture in the gallery is the original for the Mad Men style picture on top.  It’s supposed to be my angry, don’t talk to me face. As for the rest of the pictures, I think it is pretty clear what is happening.

Once you click on a thumbnail you can use the left and right keys to navigate through the set of pictures.  I’m testing out this gallery plugin to show images so please let me know what you think by twittering, commenting, or emailing me.  The complete flickr set is below in two parts in case there are any problems with the new gallery.

Couscous is a great alternative to a rice or mashed potato side dish. I usually buy the big container at Ralph’s, but the couscous pictured below is from a box with seasoning packets. Either way it only takes about 5 minutes to make. Add fresh mushrooms, asparagus, and grape tomatoes sauteed in olive oil to the couscous or as a second side dish in order to complete the meal.

Michael Jackson is gone but his legacy will live on in his music, videos, and the early 90′s video game Moonwalker.

Besides Captain EO, Moonwalker is by far my favorite Michael Jackson creation. The game play is horrible at best, but the Michael Jackson nostalgia factor makes this game worth playing. What other game can you be Michael Jackson, rescue little girls, fight zombies and dogs, turn into a robot, kill enemies with Dance Magic, and listen to 16bit versions of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits?

I first came across this game in the mid-90′s at a cousins house in Compostela. A couple of months later, I purchased the game at K-Mart for 20 dollars. After Michael Jackson’s death I decided to bust out my Sega Genesis and the Moonwalker cartridge. Below are a couple of recordings of my favorite parts of the game.