Let's Grind! But not with Vegetarians.

Due to our totally awesome marriage, we are now the proud owners of a meat grinder.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that I am ready to grind!

I can just hear my brother now, "Wait a minute. Weren't you a vegetarian, like, a year ago?? And now you're grinding meat???"

To that I say, "Dude. I'm gonna go grind me some meat while you fret over my inconsistencies."

My favorite meats, since knocking the vegetarian monkey off my back, have all been sausages. Therefore, I'm thinking I'll start out by grinding pork for some fresh spicy Italian sausage.

Is anyone out there using a meat grinder? Hit me with some solid tips!!

Postscript - I still want to cook with you, vegetarians, cuz I *heart* you, even if you don't eat pork sausage.

[where: 55406]

Smack Fest, Twin Cities

Why, oh why, isn't there a Smack Fest in the Twin Cities??!?!?!

I'd be SO DOWN for reprazenting Minneapolis!

Mix On, Mix Off - Longfellons Want to Know!

The rumors running through our neighborhood about the former Molly Quinn's space and the possible opening of a new Thom Pham joint have had our heads spinning this past year.

On then off. Off then on. And so on.

The talk ceased temporarily, but recently, I read a comment on Zimmern's Chow & Again blog AND this piece by Nancy Ngo, both of which indicate that it's on.

"Thom Pham is playing it safer at his next restaurant venture. After recently closing his 1-year-old contemporary/hip Temple in Minneapolis, the restaurateur says his next project will be half trendy, half traditional.

Pham had planned to open an Asian fusion place called Mix in the former Molly Quinn's on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

Now, he has given the Lake Street project a tweak. This time, Mix will occupy only half of the space. The other half will become Thanh Do, a spinoff of Pham's traditional Asian restaurant in St. Louis Park.

'It's about still giving people high-quality food,' says Pham, who hopes to open before the end of the year. 'But making it more affordable.'

Meanwhile, Pham has finished remodeling Anemoni, his sushi restaurant next door to his fusion restaurant, Azia, on 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. The menu also got an update."

[where: Longfellow, Minneapolis, MN 55406]

Deez Nutz: A Bedtime Story

As told by someone on the internet, and then retold by Reetsy.........

Once upon a time, Dr. Dre was kickin' it Kansas City. Dr. Dre was hungry, so he rolled in to the McDonald's drive thru. He overheard a crucial conversation go down between the teller and the stooges in the car in front of him. Stooge: "Yes, I hear the McRib is back. I'd like one of those with a milk." Teller: "Is that all?" Stooge: "Yes, and please add the Deez to that order, with a milk again." Teller: "The what??" Stooge:"The deez..." Teller: "DEEZ???" Stooges: "DEEZ NUTZ! DEEZ NUTZ! DEEZ NUTZ!" Dr. Dre thought this ish was HILARIOUS, so he picked it up and used it in a rhyme. And the DEEZ NUTS prank lived happily ever after. Comic pulled from Married to the Sea: the champage of comics.

[where: 55406]

Our Minimoon in Stillwater

Folks have been asking about our honeymoon.

Truth is, we didn't really have a honeymoon, yo.
We're waiting until the frigid winter hits, and then we're heading to the Bahamas. Major.

Instead, we had a minimoon! 3 days and 2 nights in Stillwater, MN.
There are scads of places outside of the Twin Cities I haven't explored yet. Stillwater was a first for me.

It was pretty much a last minute decision. A colleague recommended a getaway there the Wednesday before our wedding, and we headed there the Monday after the wedding.

We packed one backpack, strapped it to the back of the motorcycle and headed off to Stillwater on a sunny July afternoon. The weather was brilliant. So was the smoochin.

Highlights:
Riding the motorcycle over the lift bridge
Our cRaZy decked out "vault suite" at the Water Street Inn
Nacho Mama's nachos and big drinks
Sampling Schell's Freight House Pilsner, brewed exclusively for the Freight House Restaurant.

I wore green the whole time to celebrate my newly gained Irish heritage.

Check out our pics from our minimoon.

[where: Stillwater, Minnesota, Water Street Inn]

Reetsy Reviews: Batter Blaster

On a sunny weekend morning in June at a cabin in Amery, WI, we finally did it.

We. Rokked. Batter Blaster.

What is Batter Blaster?

"With its unique, pressurized, patent pending process, Batter Blaster™ makes organic light and fluffy pancakes and light and crisp waffles in minutes! And while breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it’s also the most skipped meal. Batter Blaster is fast, easy and fun for the whole family. Batter Blaster makes breakfast a blast!"

Could batter blaster be the ultimate cure for cabin hangovers??

gerg found the Batter Blaster during an all important brat bun run to a grocery store in Amery, WI. He immediately grabbed the can and said, "Let's make Batter Blaster for breakfast tomorrow!!"

Batter Blaster doesn't blast dawg; it oozes out of the can, like Cheez Whiz.

Gerg discovered that it's better to swirl the batter blaster in circles for optimal evenness. Note the butter. You must butter your pan.

He even added blueberries!

They were totally A BLAST!!

Actually, they totally tasted like prepackaged pancakes. They were edible and crucial for people who might have had too much crunk juice on da boat the day before. *wink* However, we all concurred that while it's rad that it's organic, it's a total waste of packaging. We were trying to decide if the packaging defeated the purpose of it being organic, but we got distracted by trashy magazines.

Check out this video of Batter Blaster oozing in action!

MVI_6475
Originally uploaded by gergistheword

[where: Amery, Wisconsin, Batter Blaster]

Dilly Bar Showdown

I used this French Barre Dilly box in honor of Bastille Day.

I'm wild for Heath Dilly Bars, and I can imagine how I would defend the honor of a Heath Dilly Bar to a Cherry loving so-and-so.

So I'd like to see where you all stand. Which Dilly Bar reigns supreme?


[where: 55406]

Dirty Feet, Done Dirt Cheap

Sometimes I don't pay attention to where I'm going. Taking pics of my feet helps me remember where I've stood, sat, danced, walked, jammed, etc.

I made this flickr set to bring together my various foot photos.

I'm gonna geotag all of them eventually.

[where: 55406]

Robot Nightlife

We now have two household robots!!!!

This one helps out in the kitchen by entertaining the ladies:



And this new one lights up those late nights in Longfellow:


Thanks for the fun wedding robot nightlight, Mr and Mrs Tricycle!


[where: 55406]

Here's To Me, Mrs. Flanagan....

I've been absent from this blog cuz gerg and I totally got married, and we've been honeymooning! I'm back in full effect with a new last name.

Our wedding photos by the pros haven't arrived yet, but some friends and family took some pics and sent them.

My dad totally made me cry as soon as I started walking down the aisle. I had to look at the floor because everyone I looked at made me cry. I said to my dad, "Dad! I'm totally crying and I haven't even walked down the aisle yet!!"


For the record, I sobbed like a baby through the entire ceremony. I cried and cried and cried. Gerg thought it was cute. I thought it was amateurish, but then again, I've never gotten married before. Unfortunately, all of the photos of me from the ceremony and shortly thereafter are not fun cuz my face looks like a giant tomato. Of course, Gerg looks adorable, as usual.

People liked my polka dotted dress, which made me happy. The Betsey Johnsons almost killed my feet, so I slipped into my reliable pink satin pumps that I love so much for the remainder of the reception.

Apparently, the food was good. Gerg and I forgot to eat anything, aside from wedding cake, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, and celery sticks.

We had a blast. Scads of family and friends made the trip to the Heidel House Resort, and we made merry.




I'm officially a Flanagan. WORD.

The candid photos in this set from our wedding were taken by countless friends and family. 10 disposable cameras were available for people to capture images for us as well.

Post Script: We'll post the official photos to our official joint website: http://www.gregandmarieflanagan.com/

[where: 55406]