Friday, July 23, 2010

The Lost Art of the Doodle

I doodle, you doodle, we all doodle.   I am  a creative person.   I feed my creative side as much as I can.  Its a nice release.  There is a time and place to be creative.....to doodle.  Instructions from your wife, girlfriend, or main squeeze......probably not the good time.   Meetings, instructions, training.....these all probably not good times to doodle.  Exams, quizzes, filling out divorce papers......yep, probably a bad time to let the creative side loose.  These are activities that need your undivided attention and your focus.  These activities also have one thing in common....BORING!!!!

You see, I go to the meetings with the best intentions.  My focus, my energy, my undivided attention.  Quickly that fades in to Fantasy Land.  My mind wanders, my left side brain takes over.  I day dream, I fantasize, I need a release.  I doodle........

I love these meetings and these trainings.  They allow me to feed my creative side.  Day dreams of cookies and thigh high stockings.  My mind starts to race and explore.  I start scribble on my note pad.  No, these aren't notes.  Come on, that would make more sense.  No, these are little creations of artwork.  After these meetings, just be prepared to repeat everything.  Or better yet, send me a follow up meeting notes in email.  Are you training me?  Be prepared to train me 42 times.

Are meetings and trainings bad?  No, they are a necessary evil of the office environment.  Go to your meetings and trainings with focus and an open mind.  But be prepared to let your creative side loose.  Learn to master both.  The art of meeting note taking and creative doodles.  When you do, show me how.   Just be prepared to show me 42 times.

Friday, July 2, 2010

From the Kitchen of Couch Potato Man - Easy Beer Can Chicken

Do you like rotisserie chicken?  The fall off the bone rotisserie chicken?  I give you the perfect alternative!  Introducing the beer can chicken!!!!!  I've read a gazillion sites but never tried one.  It seemed kinda stupid.  I have become a HUGE fan!  Fall off the bone, crispy skin, juicy, full flavor chicken!  Better than rotisserie chicken!  Hard to make?  Hardly!!


Ingredients:
1 Chicken (4-5lbs)
1 Favorite Marinade or Rub
1 Can of Favorite Beer


Directions:
So EASY!  Remove all the nasty junk inside the cavity or your chicken.  If you haven't gagged, pat dry your chicken.   Either rub the chicken with your favorite rub or place the chicken in a gallon Ziploc baggy and marinate.  Don't cross contaminate!  Place your chicken in a bowl or dish away from the other food in your fridge.  Be patient!  Let it sit and soak up the flavors!  The longer the better.

I don't have a lot of beer cans lying around.  Bottles yes, beer cans, no.  I just used an old soda can.  Rinse it out before you use it.   Fill the beer can about 3/4 full.  I added more crushed garlic to the can.  Take your chicken and slide it over the can.  Yes, basically up the butt.  Stop laughing now!  I know its funny and sounds ridiculous.   Use the legs of the chicken and the beer can to balance.  Like a tri-pod.  Fold the chicken wings over behind the chicken.  Let the chicken sit to warm up a little before you start to cook it.

The chicken is cooked over indirect heat.  What is indirect heat?  Its simple, the food is not cooked directly over heat.  I cooked my over charcoal on my Weber, Mrs RS.  You will need a pie tin or some kind of drip pan.   The pie tin goes in the middle of your grill.  Once your coals are all heated and starting to turn white, you want to place the coals around your pie tin.  Balance the chicken directly over the pie tin. 
Cook the chicken for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.   You will want to add more coals about an hour after you started.  I light my coals in my chimney starter, but you can place the coals directly onto  the older coals.  Leave the lid off until those coals ignite.  How do you know its done?  Stick a meat thermometer in the thigh it should read 180 degrees.  Don't have a meat thermometer?  The juices from the chicken should run clear. 

What you have is succulent, juicy, fall off the bone chicken.  Damn tasty too! 

Enjoy!