Food versus Food: Wingin' it.

Few things go better with a Ravens' game than wings and a frosty beverage.


Ok, wins.  Wins are also good.  But wings are tastier. (It's all about the immediate gratification.)



Buffalo wings first became popular in the 1980s, although their (disputed) origin came a few decades earlier. The record for most wings eaten is held by a woman named Sonya Thomas, who ate 181 wings (just over five pounds) in 12 minutes. She did this at the 2010 National Buffalo Wing festival in Buffalo, New York - a festival that has been held since 2002. That's right, it happens every year.


238 days and counting.


As you might have guessed, I like wings.  They make a cheap, easy dinner when paired with salad.  I'm a drummie person, although I still enjoy the wing portion.  I'm not a huge fan of sticky, sweet sauce.  And there are few things worse than a soggy wing. 


For this reason, while buffalo wings are good, Old Bay wings are better.  


A couple of Sundays this season I made it out to bars to watch the Ravens play (hocoblogs@@@).  And, of course, I ordered wings.  Which brings us to our contenders....

An order of Old Bay wings from
Second Chance Saloon

Contender #1:  Old Bay wings at Second Chance Saloon.


Second Chance Saloon is a neighborhood bar in Oakland Mills.  It's the first place that comes to mind when someone asks me about a local place to grab a drink.  It's kind of dark, definitely no-frills, and overall it's comfortable.  They have a large bar and several big flat-screen televisions that make it a great spot for catching the game.


Second Chance is located at 5888 Robert Oliver Place
Columbia, MD 21045.  They offer reasonable specials, including $2 drafts and half price wings.  That put these babies at $4 for 8 wings.


The wings came out hot and glistening.  They were coated with just the right amount of Old Bay - not so much that I needed to chug a gallon of water, but not so little that they lacked punch. They were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and really didn't need the small container of bleu cheese dressing that came on the side.  


The celery, on the other hand, looked as if it had frostbite.  They must have realized it, because the next order for our table came sans-vegetation.


Still, the wings were a pretty hefty portion - crisp and tender, just slightly messy, and great for snacking while I watched the game.

The wings at Twist and Turn.  There were more, but
we dove in before I thought to take a picture.
(we were pretty hungry)

Contender #2: Old Bay wings at Twist and Turn Tavern.


This was my first time at the Twist and Turn, a small bar located in Highland, in Howard County (down 108 past Clarksville).  We stumbled upon the place en route to somewhere else and had the opportunity to watch the game.  I will say the Tavern was a great place to watch.  It's separated into a bar and a small dining area, and even though we sat in the dining room we had great views of several televisions.  Game viewing, no problem.


Twist and Turn opened in 2010, at 13380 Clarksville Pike, Highland MD 20777.  It's a pretty standard tavern-type place with a lot of horse decor (I think they were going for a Western motif).  Their game-day offerings include buckets of beer ($15 for domestic, $20 imported), $5 glasses of wine, $5 sliders, and $6.50 for wings or nachos.


Our Old Bay wings (8 total) came out a warm golden brown, very crunchy which was an extra bonus - they were about as crispy as they could be without being dry and overcooked.  It's a happy place.  They were rolled in a nice amount of Old Bay, not too much.  The wings were a little small, but we were ok with that because we had more food on the way.   Our order came with some celery logs and a small ramekin of bleu cheese dressing.




A Disclaimer:  In the spirit of fairness, I do want to mention that I've been to Second Chance several times before and ordered wings on many occasions.  Twist and Turn didn't have the benefit of multiple visits, so I focused my notes to the plate of wings I received on each day -- not on past visits.






The Decision:  I really enjoyed watching the game at both places, and will keep them in mind for remaining games.  It was close.  Both wings had a good balance of Old Bay and crunch.  But in addition to being tasty, the wings at Second Chance were bigger and offered at a better price, so I declare Second Chance Saloon the winner of the Wing Challenge!




Where do you like to go watch the game?  More importantly, do you have a go-to wing place?  Tell me in the comments below so I can get my next fix!

9 steps to Chicken Rice.

I've already mentioned this, but sometimes I need to de-stress.

I have a few strategies for this.  Write.  Make lists.  Go to the gym.  Come home and cook.

It's satisfying to come home at the end of a long day and make a meal.  The repetitive chopping.  The pleasure at making something new.  The simple joy of actually clearing some space on the shelves in the fridge.

No idea what I mean?  Well... here's a guide.

Step 1: Heat a few squirts of canola oil and a dash of sesame oil in a pan of your choice (make sure it has a lid).  I used my superly great hard-anodized pan that I got for Christmas.

Tip: heat pan, then add and heat oil.  Make sure to remove the meat from the fridge ahead of cooking, so you're not adding cold meat to the hot pan.

Step 2: Establish that superly is in fact a legitimate adverb. I don't care what the internet says.

Step 3: Trim up chicken thighs and season liberally with salt, pepper, and Chinese five spice powder. Carefully place in hot oil.

Step 4:  When chicken releases (4-5 minutes, or brown on one side), flip and brown the other side. In the mean time, assemble other ingredients.

You need: 2 cups of rice, more sesame oil, and leftover chicken stock (or water, but add salt)
You also need baby carrots for snacking and an ice cold Dogfishhead 60-minute IPA.  
Trust me on this one.

Step 5: Remove chicken from pan (it's ok if there are bits stuck) and add another teaspoon or two of sesame oil.  At this point, you could jack the heat, add aromatics - chopped onion, garlic, and ginger would be nice - and sauté until tender.  I didn't have any of those things.  Either way, add rice and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, until the rice is coated in all that flavor and has a nice sheen.  

Step 6: Add 1 cup of broth and stir to remove all the good bits from the bottom of the pan.  Then add the remaining 3 cups of broth (I used a combo of broth and water because I only had about 2c of leftover broth), stir, and bring to a boil.

Step 7: Add the chicken and any juices back into the pan.  Cover and cook on low approximately 25 minutes (keep a low simmer), or until the liquid is evaporated.  I have yet to master this without peeking once.  So if you peek, I forgive you.  


You could also throw chopped and/or frozen veg on top in the last few minutes of cooking to make a more complete meal.

Step 7.5: Keep eating the carrots.  Or make a salad.  Or both.  Veggies are good!

Step 8: Remove from the heat (keep covered) and let stand another five to ten minutes.

Step 9: Uncover, fluff the rice, and serve with reduced sodium soy sauce and Srichacha (chili sauce).  

There was more chicken... we just sorta jumped in before I took the picture. :)

Best consumed with back episodes of The Office or another favorite comedy.

Why I don't 'get' the GOP...

This is not a political blog, but that doesn't mean I don't think about politics.  I do.  Especially when I listened to the mention of the Michael Steele Question on NPR's Morning Edition, which briefly recapped the RNC debate.

Steele is the incumbent, but he's also called the underdog in this piece.  Still, he argues that the GOP's success in November is due to him.  Challengers disagree, and also point to the RNC's deficit and Steele's 'liberal' spending.

It also offers some insight to the people who would replace him.  More on that in a minute.

As someone outside the GOP, I have not been impressed with Steele.  The financial status of the RNC seems like it should be a big deal.  His job should be to fund-raise and distribute resources to campaigns.  

And then there's the drama, although I guess there's always drama.

Three things stood out at me from the brief clips of debate, though, and that's why this post is called "Why I don't get the GOP" and not "Why I don't get Michael Steele."  They reflected widespread opinions or beliefs that I have difficulty understanding and/or seeing as reasonable.

1.  Who was responsible for the November election?

This has been touted as a victory for the Republican party, but I disagree.  I'm not even sure the Democrats are "at fault."   


This was a victory for the vocal Tea Party.  But the victory is partial. 

The Tea Party appears so far to the right that they risk alienating the moderates that might otherwise shy from expanding government spending.  A good demonstration of this was in Alaska, where Lisa Murkowski (the Republican incumbent) won as a write-in after losing the primary to Tea Party candidate Frank Miller.

The way I see it, if the GOP can't figure out how to harness this movement without alienating its own party, then they're at risk.  

2.  Can Sarah Palin win a general election?

In the clip, Michael Steele's response was bullet-quick.  Yes.  The other candidates agreed.

Personally... I think they're all wrong.

The novelty of Palin as a "female candidate" (Hillary who?) is starting to fade.  There's more baggage attached to her name, including a failed election.  She resigned as governor of Alaska, possibly her single shot at asserting she's qualified to be president (given her past political experience).  Nothing about that move says "I am committed to expanding my political horizons."  


She's also very polarizing.  Polarizing is not good.  Rhetoric is all well and fine, but Presidents must come to the middle to get anything done.

I have other opinions that I will keep to myself.

This is not to say that another Palin-like candidate won't emerge.  I just believe, if she gains the GOP nomination in 2012, she is going to lose.

3.  Who belongs in the Republican party?

This was the biggest point of surprise for me. I'll simply give the two answers that stood out, and let you decide why.

The first was given Reince Priebus, who chairs the Republican Party in Wisconson.  He is one of the leading challengers, and may well chair the RNC into the 2012 election.  

Priebus: "...if you're pro-abortion, pro-stimulus, pro-G.M. bailout, pro-AIG, well, you know, guess what, you might not be a Republican."


Speaking of stimulus... [cough cough there's always drama cough].  Sorry, let's move on.


There was a lone dissent among the candidates, and it came from... 

Steele: "...we cannot be a party that sits back with a litmus test and excludes, and the national chairman cannot go into a state, 'You're less Republican than you are, therefore I will not talk with you and only talk with you. That is not the Republican Party that I joined at 17 years old. And it will not be the Republican I lead over the next two years. Trust me."


...great. A reasonable answer from the guy who's probably headed out the door anyway.




So this is what I don't understand.  How can the GOP be focusing on exclusion when they want to attract numbers to unseat Dems in 2010?  Are they relying on Tea Party momentum, and do they not see its drawbacks as well as its benefits?  


Does the GOP (or leaders like Priebus) expect to have enough 'pure' Republican support to ensure moderates and independents support them in the polls?


Moreover, Priebus' litmus test doesn't just cover the basic ideological things such as their stance on gay marriage that define but at the present time do not exactly exclude party members.

With views like this from candidates, it's not hard to see the very real possibility for the future path of the GOP: away from moderates, and away from the possibility of gaining traction with the majority of the electorate.

At least, that's the view from the outside looking in - a position that, considering the proposed terms of exclusion, is not likely to change.

Almost-New Spin Bikes and the Tuesday Run.

I finally made it to a Tuesday "brick" this morning - a combination spin/run.  For the past few months, I've only been running.  This meant I got to try the "new" spin bikes at the Columbia Athletic Club*. (They went in about 8 weeks ago, so they're sorta new.) (hocoblogs@@@)


What makes them different?  Well, the bike is different - it's chain driven with a 'redesigned' flywheel versus the old ones, which I believe were belt/flywheel.  I didn't really think this would make a difference, but I noticed some feedback once I was at about 50% resistance.  I also felt the resistance much more on the upstroke.  Our instructor confirmed that this was probably because of the chain.  


Not a huge deal, just different.  


I also found the seat less comfortable, but I liked the handlebar setup and the placement for the water bottle.  I have a feeling that the ride will be more comfortable as I figure out the settings.


The biggest change, however, is The Green Revolution system, which harnesses the energy generated during the workout and cycles it back into the club's electrical grid.  Pretty cool.  For a far better explanation of this process and the meaning of watt-hours, check out this post on Tri Jeff Tri.


For those of us who don't focus on how the watt-hours work, we simply end up with a total number at the end of class.  I had the lowest number of our group, but sweat was pouring off of me by the end of the workout and I'm pretty sure I couldn't push any harder.  So I'm not going to sweat it. (Ha.. ha... yeah, sorry about that.)


After spin, we took off for a five mile run.  Cold gear, fleecy hat, and gloves were present.  So were the hills.  Running in Columbia is great training.  


I was tired from spin, but the run felt alright.  And I got dusted in the last 1-2 miles.  I actually don't mind this... my goal is to get faster, and the only way I'm going to do that is by running with people who are faster than me.  Hopefully I can stay with the crew a little longer next week.


Now, thawed, caffeinated, and ready for work, I'm glad I pried myself out of bed this morning.  Have a great day!






*Full Disclosure: I train lifeguards and occasionally coach Masters' Swimming for Columbia Association Aquatics.

Helpful Dialogue advice.

There's tons of writing advice out there.


There are some writing books I like.  Bird by Bird and How to Write A Damn Good Novel are among my favorite.  (I got a few for Christmas this year, so look for reviews in the next few weeks).


I also follow some blogs on writing. The NeverEnding Page Turner, The Rejectionist, Artzicarol Ramblings, KidLit.com. (Sorry for those not listed, but I heart your blog too.)


There are videos available that have pieces of interviews.  And some good TED talks that give me food for thought.


But the most direct and helpful writing advice I've gotten in the last few weeks came from a site dedicated to pointing out the sloppiness, editing errors, and offenses to the written word that are apparently found in Twilight.*

Go to ReasoningWithVampires.  Read it.  Laugh some.  Sure, some of the points are anti-Twilight or more focused on the blogger's dislike of the book/characters/story/etc.  Whatever, it's her blog.  And many of the posts are very educational.  


And some of the things she points out?  ...yup.  I've done them. >.>


I need to go do some editing now....








*I'm not getting pulled into the pro-/anti- Twilight debate, mostly because I just don't care.  I've read enough of the books to know that it's not my kind of thing. If you are pro-Twilight, go you, I am glad you are reading.**






**But while we're at it, the blogger of ReasoningWithVampires does post an interesting comment about whether or not Twilight should even be analyzed for things like story sense, structure, or grammar.  Her short answer: Yes.  Check it out here.  This question, I think, should be increasingly more relevant as the publishing industry changes - should all genres of work be held to the same standard?  Is it better that people are reading, or should they be reading 'good' books?  Who decides if a book is 'good'?  If Twilight is so bad, how should we interpret its success? ...that's another post.

Eye Candy Blogfest...

I can't eat any more candy.... but I can look at it!  Thanks to Ramblings and Randomness for extending this blogfest by a day.


Rule: Post a picture that makes you smile every time you see it.

Grimace a few years ago, staring out onto the patio.
And licking his face.

Post a picture that makes you smile, and check out some of the other blogfest entries here!

Well, hello 2011.

The last few days have been great.  


I ended 2010 with a chilly nine-ish mile run with some of the group.  The end was rough, but (or because?) we held a good pace for the first few miles.  Especially the first mile, gah.  Afterwards, showered, changed, and still shivering, I met Matt at Frank's Diner. After breakfast, I crashed for a midday nap.  Awesome. 


We celebrated at my family's house (Happy Birthday Dad!) and then headed out to the Hamilton's for a quiet and fun NYE - great food, wonderful people.

Photo: Mike Upton

Oh yeah, and some really good drinks, including a St.- Germaine's Cocktail (var: lemon twist) and a (new-to-me) beer from Dogfish Head.


For a very detailed New Yorker article on Sah'Tea, go here.


I scored my bottle of Sah'Tea from the Dirty Santa party.  Since it said chai, I was expecting a darker brew with some strong spice.


Instead, it really reminded me of a Belgian wit or hefeweizen or something of that sort in appearance and smell, only it tasted stronger.  The beer had a nice golden color and an interesting smell - I got a lot of juniper, though it took me a while to place it.  We split the bottle between five or six people.  I don't know that I would want to drink more than the small glass I had, but it was pretty good.  


We didn't stay out too much later than midnight and had a lazy morning.  A lazy morning that included pancakes with real maple syrup from Trader Joe's.  Pancakes were thick, fluffy, and really tasty.

This look says "I have not yet had coffee. But I do have a spatula.
Back off with the camera."

We filled the rest of the day with quiet time and family.  It was a great way to start off 2011.

I'll be back to regularly scheduled blogging this week, hope you all had a safe and happy start to the new year!