Week Forty-Seven: Colum and Erin

Hosting a dinner party after both a double Thanksgiving (Wednesday with my parents and Thursday with Erica's Dad) and a raging show at Nectar on Friday proved to be a difficult task. Erica and I were already pretty drained from all the activities. THANKFULLY, we had over an extremely easy-going laid back couple for Week 47, Colum and Erin.



Colum is the head chef for the catering kitchen at Homegrown (the company I work for). He was one of the original hires, and, much like myself, has moved all the way up the ladder into a high position. I enjoyed working with him at the launch store in Fremont. He handles stress really well and is always in a good mood. He is very knowledable about Eastcoast rap music and is overall great company to keep.

Colum was always one of the better cooks in the store, so cooking for him was intimidating. I took on a little more than I could chew and tried to make Beef Bourguignon. There's a lot of irony in that statement because it came out too chewy. Erica and I do not have a crockpot and it really could have helped me out with the texture. The flavors were there, but the carrots were crunchy and the meat was tough. It will be the last time I try my own take on a dish. I am going to follow instructions to finish out the year for sure.



Erin has been with Colum for two years. We had met previously at some shows they attended; a lot of the Homegrown crew is really supportive about coming out and partying at my band's shows. She is a young, intellegent free-thinker with ambition and a positive attitude. She also showed up with three bottles of nice booze, so we liked her style.

Though the meal was tough and over-portioned, the bottles carried the conversation. Colum and I chopped it up over some company gossip. We shared our couples history and future goals. We did end up playing some Table Topics, however, the Drinking Jenga streak was broken (not a bad thing). We ended the night oddly civil, sharing a pot of tea before Erin and Colum parted ways. It was a very unique ending to a dinner date.

I feel awful about the food not being awesome and Erica and I were supremely tired. We did have a great time with Colum and Erin and I wish I was more of a host, cause they are amamzing to spend time with. As far as we are concerned, we owe them a real meal and possibly a game of Drinking Jenga. Maybe even Yen Wor, who knows? Either way, we are getting close to having an open schedule again. The schedule of weekly dinners is almost over!



It's beyond the 4th quarter of the double date challenge. We've basically reached overtime. It will now be the last month of the year with only five weeks left to go! December will open with my good friend Todd and his lovely girlfriend Nicole. As we get closer to the end, I wonder if the world is coming with us. I guess we will find out on the 21st. Until then, the only number that matters... 5...

Week Forty-Six: Clayton and Sydney

I figured by the end of the year, Erica and I would be entertaining some people we weren't too familiar with. Luckily that doesn't necessarily mean comfortable with. One my favorite young bucks (at this point younger than me, but now a vet) from the local rap scene was Clayton, or NOTION as he is called on stage. And with the big show coming up this Friday, he and Sydney got the call for Week #46.



Clayton is such a laid back, even keel guy, that I knew he would be dating a quality person. Without ever meeting Sydney, I told Erica "don't worry, you'll love these people. They are great!" I was only assuming Sydney would be awesome. But the date would be my introduction to her as well.

To her credit, and all the guests who came over for dinner thus far, it is an awkward situation to be tossed into. Like the reaction of many of our cancellations, Sydney was like "...so these strangers or going to be blogging about this??" I am constantly impressed by my friends who are willing to drag their loved ones into this escapade. And like excellent guests, Sydney and Clayton showed up early on our porch with flowers and a bottle of whiskey.



Having failed to cook Chicken MARSALA last week, I decided I needed to learn this week. My apologies to Eliza (Week 45) but Chicken Marsala was an even better choice than Chicken MASALA. The process wasn't too difficult, and much like the recent cooking adventures, I just gathered the ingredients and ventured off on my own for the preparation.

This was my take on Chicken Marsala: I took four chicken breasts and coated them in egg whites, flour and corn starch. I hit them in a hot skillet with sesame oil to sear the outsides, then tossed them in an oiled pan in the oven on low to keep them warm. I diced an onion, some garlic and chopped up some mushrooms then tossed the in the skillet. After frying up the contents for a little while, I added sweet Marsala wine and chicken stock, then I poured the mixture into the pan in the oven with the chicken, and baked it all at 450 for about an hour.



To serve with the chicken, I made some white rice, steamed broccoli and red and gold potatoes cooked in white wine and rice vinegar. The dish as a whole was way over-portioned but very delicious. This is definitely a meal I will cook again. I would venture to say, I pulled it off. And the potatoes cooked in wine is officially my favorite side now.

As we initially sat down to eat, the entire circus busted in! Our roommate Griff (Week 28) came home hauling camera gear and in tow was Ben (Week 1) and a few of his friends. They caught us listening to Counting Crows and mocked us efficiently. I felt a little bad for the unsuspecting Clayton and Sydney, who just had the house tour and a slight warning we had roommates. But the gang left shortly after and then began a very pleasant dinner conversation.



Sydney is as charming and open minded as they come. She works in real estate as well as non-profit. Kind, beautiful, and warm, my inclination she would be wonderful was correct. And together with Clayton, they make an awesome couple. As it turns out, they were a couple in high school, then split up briefly as they went to colleges in different states. They ultimately ended up back together, where they clearly belong.

The bizarre story of Erica and I was told, and we talked most of the night away before even moving over to the coffee table. After a brief game of Table Topics, which exposed we needed no cue cards to carry on a good group conversation, we switched gears to Drinking Jenga.



Jenga came and went, and Clayton was left with a bowl of booze to slug down after knocking over the tower. We chatted a little longer, then the pair took a cab back home. Erica is excited to have a new friend to mingle with at the rap shows, as the her and Sydney got along classically. We can put that theory to test THIS FRIDAY, as Clayton and I hit the stage at Nectar Lounge for my third annual Black Friday hip hop show in Fremont. Tickets will be available at the door, but arrive early because it always sells out. If you want to guarantee a spot, ORDER TICKETS NOW ONLINE.



Keeping it all in the fam next week. The Homegrown fam. One of the most likable people in the company, Colum, and his lovely girlfriend Erin will be coming over for dinner. I am very much looking forward to this one. As the clock ticks... 6...

Week Forty-Five: Eliza and Juan

This week's theme was cancellations. We had a cancellation on Saturday, followed by a fill-in cancellation and a backup cancellation! We had to move the dinner to Tuesday and set up a blind date between random friends. The day of, the guy got sick and backed out. So, at the buzzer, Week 45 ended up being my buddy Juan from work meeting my friend Eliza for the first time on a dinner date. Madness ensued!



Eliza is kind of like the Sweet Dee (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) of our crew. She is vibrant, hilarious and loves to party. I met her via Ian (Week 33) when they worked together at Jillian's and Ian and I were in The Let Go. She would come support us at the shows and ended up playing an extra in one of my music videos and later a lead role in another.

Juan was hired on at Homegrown before I was in control of the staff, earlier this year. The owner hired him and said "he's one of those guys you automatically know you like after two minutes." I was skeptical because I did not make the hire, but sure enough, two minutes after meeting Juan, I liked the guy. He is social, charming and extremely friendly. He likes a good film and a cold beer.



For dinner, Eliza said she wanted Chicken Marsala. Erica and I have been on an Indian food kick lately, so I read her text as Chicken MASALA. Rather than checking on it, I decided to go all in on the Indian dish because I have never cooked Indian food. The first step was choosing the style of Masala. Erica always orders Butter, so I was somewhat familiar with the flavor, and I wanted to get risky, so I looked up a recipe for Tikki, purchased the ingredients and discarded the instructions.

It was pretty easy to make. Essentially, I just made a marinade for the chicken with yogurt, lemon juice and several spices. I let the chicken sit in the marinade in the fridge for a little over an hour. I removed the chicken from the juices, cooked it in a skillet and keep it warm in the oven. Then I created a base with tomato sauce, heavy whipping cream, garlic, ginger and more spices. I added the chicken in, cooked it some more and served it over white rice. It was pretty awesome!



The nature of the date was pretty low-pressure and laid back, although Eliza did come through with a bottle of whiskey. Both roommates were looming around, so Griff (Week 28) and Aaron (Week 4) both ended up joining the action shortly after the meal. The action was a double header, game-wise: starting with Table Topics and leading to Drinking Jenga.

Of all the memorable silliness the occurs on 52 DD, Jenga provided us with an epic moment this time. Aaron pulled the ill fated "lap dance" piece, which forced him to give a participant a lap dance. That participant was Eliza. I am not sure how much SHE enjoyed the lap dance, but the rest of us loved it.



By some strange stroke of luck, I ended up knocking the tower down and drinking a bowl full of drinks. With the conclusion of the games, the crew packed up and hit the road for Yen Wor. Yen Wor, the best bar in Seattle. Yen Wor, the land of fun.



We entered Yen Wor ablaze. Juan and I hit the stage and murdered "Ebony and Ivory" which really set the tone. Eliza got the group a round of shots, we continued to sing, and before long, we were best friends with everybody in the bar. We met a lovely set of ladies (Allison, Caitlin and Teal) who actually knew both Sarah (Week 5) and Annie Bell (Week 15). You never know what will happen at Yen Wor, but rest assured it will be a great time!



Also up in the air is who is coming over next and when that will be! The only thing I know for certain is I will be headlining Nectar Lounge in a week on Friday, November 23rd, and I hope to see a large group of friends there partying. I have about 7 days to prepare for that, and I have the same number of dates left for the challenge. 7...

Week Forty-Four: Carl and Katie

My formula has been exposed. I basically have three different blog entry types: stories about the past, descriptions of the food, or rants on my current problems. I assume you are a casual reader, and haven't made it through all of the dates. For the sake of those visiting once, and my guests Carl and Katie who have read quite a few posts, I will attempt the trifecta.



Week 44 had it all: a little nostalgia, some good food and a couple mood swings. Recently engaged, Carl and Katie have been couple friends with us for quite sometime, and they are good friends with the Danny and Julie (Week 11) crowd. They were valued guests at our Wedding and always make for good company. Oddly enough, my most fond memory of Carl involves a moment he wasn't even in my presence for...

Carl is a professional poker player. In high school, while most of our friends were smoking and drinking our chances at developing tangible skills away, Carl was honing in on several unique passions. He was excellent at soccer, a talented guitarist, and becoming more and more of an outstanding card player. Founder of one the original shithole homie hangouts, the Bucket in Maple Leaf, I distinctly remember Carl being dedicated to the poker table at parties rather than about the house socializing. We all said he was wasting his time, until he used his winnings to buy a condo in Wallingford.

Some of those winnings, and my favorite Carl memory, occurred in a televised tournament on Fox Sports NW. Lounging on the couch of our shithole homie hangout at the time in Northgate, Sky (Week 25) and I came across a poker tournament on TV while drinking a few beers. We stayed on the channel long enough to notice our friend from high school Carl was IN the tournament! We were overjoyed and began rooting for Carl. Not having knowledge of how it ended, it was very exciting to watch. And unlike pulling for the traditional Seattle sports teams like the Sonics, Mariners or Seahawks... Sky and I were rooting for the eventual champion! Much to our shock, Carl pulled it out and was grinning with his arms around a giant check by the end. This a fantastic memory for me.



A champion and a true professional, Carl settles for nothing but the best. And his fiance Katie is THE BEST. A true lady, smart, forward-thinking and social, Katie is one of the prettiest, most caring people we know. She showed up to our porch with two bottles of wine and some homemade cookies. They were ready to eat food.

I decided to play it safe food-wise and just roast a chicken. It is hard to mess up and always pretty delicious. I simply rubbed the chicken in a little olive oil, sprinkled on some dried basil, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. On the side, I did some garlic potatoes and a vegetable medley. It was far from the best thing I have cooked, but simple and effective. The timing, however, was perfect for once!

They arrived and I had a green salad (of just mixed greens, sliced cucumbers and carrots with a vinaigrette) on the table, with waters filled and wine glasses ready. We poured a few glasses of wine and did a house tour, while the chicken continued to roast in the oven. We sat down to some hot rolls and salad to start, after one more glass of wine, the entrees were ready to be served. Smooth sailing.



Dinner conversation consisted of the big three: talking about Wedding memories (and the future plans for an important Wedding), discussing cooking methods and favorite meals, and sharing the high and lows of recent times. Whether high or low, Erica and I are always looking a good television series. So one of the most common, undocumented conversations that takes place continuously on 52 DD is going over the must-see shows. I won't leak the ones Erica and I lean on, but I will say we are desperately awaiting the new season of Arrested Development to be followed by a movie. We openly love that show.

As par to the new dating format, the party moved from the dinner table to the coffee table. And at the coffee table, we played college-style drinking Jenga. The game offered up a series of awkward truths, limited duration "hand jive" games, the King's Falls game of questions, and ultimately ended in Carl chugging a bowl of beer. And continuing the new par, Griff (Week 28) walked in on us all during the ending phase of the date. He told us about Hoarders and shared some videos with us from his computer.



As far as my mood goes, it is off with the depression beard! Work is eating me alive, but I've been saying that all year, so I know I will survive. The dates are cancelling at a dangerous rate, but we are so close to finishing the challenge, I will search for a couple on Craigslist if I have to! A good double date provides the inspiration to persevere. And this date was good, one of the top.

Which also inspired me, via a question from Carl... "what's next?" When I mentioned the Summer of 52 Floats, he did say he believed that was going to happen. But he knew there was more. He was right! At the conclusion of 52 DD, we will announce the Top 12 Dates of the Year, offering (once per month in 2013) an unblogged-about dinner party at Tune Castle to each couple once again. I will also say, it will take a few strong dates in the coming weeks to shake Carl and Katie out of the ranks!



As November begins, so does the countdown to my annual day-after-Thanksgiving show at Nectar Lounge in Fremont. You can and should order your tickets here now for just $5 because it always sells out! The other countdown on the clock is dates. And now it's down to 8...