Live From Nowhere Near You: Volume 2 (Pre Release Sale Link)

Hey Kids,

Here is something really cool that The Polymouth is proud to be a part of supporting.  Live from Nowhere Near You is a project done by a close friend of The Polymouth collaborating many of todays best loved and influential musical artist with street musicians, with all of the proceeds going to charities that help the homeless and street youth.  Volume 1 was released in 2003 to critical acclaim, and Volume 2 is set to be released in the next few weeks.

We are lucky enough to have access to a Pre Release Sale.  Volume 2 makes up for the time since the last release in both scope (it is comprised of 3 discs) and talent (the list of todays top acts is quite impressive).  If you hit the link above you can get the whole album for only $15 until the release date!

I would be remiss if I didn't give you the deets on what your $15 buys you:

• The 3 disc set with cover art, liner notes, and tales of how the songs came to be (including tracks NOT on the digital download)
• The Digital Download of the 3 discs as well
• Bonus songs and album preview tracks
• Braggin' rights that you had it before it was out in stores
• And a well deserved increase in self worth because you will know you did the right thing

Just SOME of the bands involved include:

Pearl Jam, The Strokes, Modest Mouse, The Dandy Warhols, Joe Purdy, The Helio Sequence, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Bright Eyes, Blind Pilot, The Presidents of the United States of America, and the list goes on, and on, and on...  There is even a song with Greg Oden of the Portland Trailblazers.  

This is a very cool project, done by really cool people, for a very cool cause.  Plus if you check it out now you get a good deal for it too! 

I will keep you updated as additional info comes along...

ROCK

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The Cousin's B-Day Mix 2011

Since the last mix I put up here was from years gone by, I figured I should put up a more recent edition.  My cousin and I are about 16 months apart in age, and while we are very different on several levels, we sort of have our own short hand much like sibling, and one thing we usually agree upon is tunes.  Every now and then he asks for me to make up a mix of music for him, and it has become a nearly annual tradition for me to give him a mix for his birthday.

Here is the latest iteration, I think its a fun blend of some new stuff and some gems from the past.  It also has a good balance between very very chill stuff, and some more up-tempo-get-out-of-your-seat-and-shake-it jams.  But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself and let me know what you think...

(also if you see my cousin don't tell him you saw this because I give him his birthday mixes without a playlist so he has to do some sleuthing and learn more about the bands on the mix.  But for you, I included links to info on all of the bands)

(song-band-album)

1. Two Weeks- Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest
2. Wordless Chorus- My Morning Jacket- Z
3. Hang On- Dr. Dog- Fate
4. I Gotta Woman- Toots & The Maytals- Light Your Light
5. Rosetta Stone- Bombadil- A Buzz, a Buzz
6. Sailing to Nowhere- Broken Bells- Broken Bells
7. Cubism Dream- Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
8. Thistled Spring- Horse Feathers- Thistled Spring
9. The Black Roses- Codeine Velvet Club- Codiene Velvet Club
10. Dirty Cartoons- Menomena- Mines
11. Ragged Wood- Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
12. Hotel Yorba- The White Stripes- White Blood Cells
13. A Good Man is Easy to Kill- Beulah- The Coast is Never Clear
14. Weekend Wars- MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
15. Say Hello- Stars of Track and Field- Centuries Before Love and War
16. Don't Look Away- The Helio Sequence- Love and Distance
17. Hannah- Freelance Whales- Weathervanes
18. Daylight- Matt & Kim- Grand

A couple final notes- My Morning Jacket just had a real cool set on VH1 Storytellers; Toots & The Maytals is playing at the Washington Park Rose Garden Amphitheater on the 4th of July (just a few weeks from the time of this post, buy tixx here); The Polymouth is still mourning the breakup of The White Stripes, say it ain't so Jack and Meg; and as always stop piracy and BUY THE MUSIC!

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Pigs in a Blanket

(AKA Crowd Pleasers)


This is a great party recipe.  And I use some form of them at nearly every party I have (under various names).  So much so that people almost expect them at this point.  You have to be selective when it comes to where you place them, because they will be the be the center of the party, that is until they run out.  They are fairly easy to make, and what they lack in pomp and complexity they make up for in comfort and sheer naughtiness.  All you're gonna need is...

1 Package Lil' Smokies Sausages
2 Cans Ready to Bake Crescent Rolls

1)  Unroll the crescent roll dough, cut the pre-sliced triangles in to thirds (making 3 smaller triangles)
2)  Roll 1 mini sausage in each piece of dough (I like starting on the edge with the two closest corners, and rolling so the furthest point ends up in the middle of the ends of the sausage)
3)  Place on greased cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or till golden brown
4)  Serve with favorite dipping sauce (bbq or stone ground mustard go over best) in area with plenty of elbow room

Those are the basics.  You can dress them up any number of ways from there: cheese is always a deliciously melty addition, an egg wash gives them a nice glisten, and herbs are always a savory touch.  This should make 48, but rarely do I get them out of the kitchen with the whole batch in tact (always taste as you cook...).

Trust me, I call them "Crowd Pleasers" for a reason.  Let me know how it goes...

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Corvette Corn on The Cob

Here is a twist on an old favorite.  I originally came up with it as a dish to represent Bunny Lebowski at my Big Lebowski party.  It was later brought to my attention the Bunny wasn't actually driving a Corvette, but I liked the name so I kept it.  There are a few different options when it comes to cooking: grilling, roasting, or my favorite under the coals of a camp fire.  But here is how I rev up this classic...

1 Ear of corn
2 Tbsp of Butter
1 Tbsp Honey
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1)  Break the ear of corn in two pieces, measure out foil pieces large enough to wrap the corn
2)  Mix butter, honey and spices in microwave safe dish, microwave for 10-20 seconds, stir to combine
3)  Drizzle the melted butter over the corn till covered and wrap in foil
4)  Cook how ever you choose (NOT in the microwave), grilled or roasted (in the oven at 350 degrees) should take around 30 minutes

Open foil and enjoy (careful, its HOT).  Obviously this recipe is fairly scalable, the above procedure will make 2, but you will probably want more than that so plan on at least doubling.  This corn is just racy enough I'm sure Bunny would love it (even after She's seen Karl Hungus)...

(Extra points to whoever can tell me what car Bunny was driving...)

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The Stranger's Sarsaparilla Pulled Pork Sammies

This inspiration for this recipe includes many of my favorite things: Pulled Pork, The Big Lebowski, Slow Cooking, Sam Elliott, Sarsaparilla, Sam Elliott's Mustache, and BBQ sauce.  Basically as I was putting The Big Lebowski Party together, I knew I had to come up with something referring to The Stranger (played by both Sam Elliott and his mustache) ordering a Sarsaparilla.  After poking around the Interwebs I found a couple delicious ideas, and came up with a recipe that took influence from a few different sources (a couple examples both here and here).  Since Sarsaparilla is more difficult to find than it is to spell (which ain't exactly easy), root beer was employed (but find a good root beer).

3 things are going to make this uber-tasty: good ingredients (pork, root beer, spices, and buns),  2 step cooking process (searing, then slow cooking), and time (they call it "slow" cooking for a reason).  So please don't skimp on any of these.  You can use any sort of rub, and BBQ sauce that you like, I'm just going to keep it very basic through these steps since it is a fairly involved process.

1 (2 lb) Pork Loin
1 (12 oz) can of Root Beer
1 (18 oz) Bottle of BBQ Sauce
2 bags of Dinner Rolls (Hawaiian Sweet Roll are great for this)
Salt and Pepper (or your preferred dry rub)

1)  Rub the Pork Loin with Salt and Pepper
2)  Sear the Pork Loin in a hot pan (lubricate with cooking oil, but be careful not to hit the smoke point and burn the oil, peanut or safflower oil have nice high smoke points, and you only need about a Tbsp), give it about 2 minutes on all 4 sides, try and move it to the hottest part of the pan to get the best sear
3)  Place the seared Pork in the slow cooker (if you don't have a slow cooker, get one, they are worth it and open up so many different recipes that you can not duplicate without one)
4)  Pour Root Beer over the Pork in the slow cooker (this is a good point to season with some more S&P if you wish).  Try to get as much of the pork into the root beer as possible
5)  Cover and walk away*.  Go do something.  Don't touch the cover, just leave it be.  The pork can sit in there for 5 hours to over a day (8 hours is just about perfect).  The more time you give it the more the pork will fall apart
6)  Using a couple forks "pull" the Pork apart (if it is fighting you too much, let it cook a while more)
7)  Add a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, stir in with the pork (it will be stringy and soft and as you stir it it will begin to look like the pulled pork you know and love).  You could serve now, but another hour or so will help the flavors blend
8)  Fill Buns with the pork mixture. 1 or 2 forkfuls should fill them just fine.  (if the sauce is still a bit loose let drain for a moment or two before you fill the bun)

They might need a moment to cool, but they are ready to serve (I actually like to add some Caramelized Onions too).  And they actually hold up alright even after they cool if you are serving at a party and they are going to sit out for a few hours (I doubt they will last that long).  I hope these little achievers would do Sioux City proud...

*walk away within reason- while I do from time to time leave my slow cooker unattended, don't leave it within reach of your dog, or plug it in the baby's crib (the point is to be patient and not open the slow cooker every few minutes).  Also, don't use your hairdryer in the shower...

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Portland's Hidden Stairways

For those of you in the Portland area or looking for things to do while you are in the Rose City here is a fun way to burn a few hours, burn a few calories, and see some of the city's parks and forests.  Try finding some of Portland's Hidden Stairways.

Portland is riddled with beautiful green spaces.  All throughout the town there are parks and trails great for getting out and being active.  Many of these trails make up what is known as the 40 Mile Loop (map), and they are made up of varying distances and difficulties.  Much of it is constituted by the Wildwood trail through Forest Park, one of the largest parks within city limits in the country.  Large enough in fact that you and your family can live up there for 4 years and have no one notice*.  Forest Park and the 40 Mile Loop are parts of town that Portlanders wear like a badge of honor.  They are well known, well used, and beloved by the citizenry.

But if you're looking for a beaten path that is, well, off the beaten path look for the hidden stairways of the West Hills.  As I was looking for some fun hikes through the 40 Mile Loop I came across information about these Public Hidden Stairways.  Who would have guessed, but there is a big public stairways culture out there.  Little internet nooks like publicstairs.com celebrate these charming, quaint, and yes, necessary fixtures in cities across the country.  There is in fact a book dedicated to the topic by Laura O. Foster, aptly named "The Portland Stairs Book".

I haven't read the book, and I've only been on a few of the stairways (so far), but the walks I have been on have been fun, even on gray drizzly Portland spring days.  I look forward to learning more about and seeing new segments of my city.  Let me know if you check 'em out, or if you have other interesting spots I should seek out...

*not recommended by the Polymouth

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Great Internet Guitar Lessons

I love music.  I love listening to it, talking about it, seeing it live, making music mixes, playing the jukebox at the local watering hole, and passing along cool songs or bands to people who haven't heard it before, I just love music.  Playing it?  Well, sort of.  I would firmly put my ranking at the beginner level, but I really do enjoy strumming on my guitar.  I've never had any formal lessons, and I am basically self taught from song books and tabs I found on the Internet.  A while back I was surfing YouTube looking for some guitar lessons.  And like much of the content on YouTube there were several options and a varying degree of usefulness.

There were quite a few that were pretty helpful, but there was one teacher that I seemed to return to most often. Justin Sandercoe at justinguitar.com (I found his lessons on YouTube, but his site has more comprehensive information about each lesson).  I don't think I am spilling the beans here or anything, the guy has achieved quite a bit of notice for his video lessons and website.  Justinguitar.com has hundreds of lessons for all levels and abilities.  And his content has had over 93 million views.  For my money he is quite simply the best guitar teacher on the Internet (did I mention the content is free to users?).  

He is affable, direct, and most importantly very, very knowledgeable.  He has a way of getting large amounts of information into short lessons without confusing the student.  His philosophy is to learn a little at a time and over time become a stronger guitar player.  And I can attest that it works.  My own playing has improved by leaps and bounds since I have started using his video lessons.  I hope to some day soon rise up the ranks from beginner to novice.  And with the help of Justin's lessons I think that I will be able to move far beyond that.

So if you have never picked up a guitar, or you want a tune up to take your skills to the next level, check it out.  Its never too late to try.  Let me know what you think...

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The Dude's Very Own Caucasian

One of the best running jokes through out The Big Lebowski is The Dude and his special relationship with his favorite drink "The Caucasian".  There is the cream shopping scene in the beginning where he is writing out a check for $0.69 with cream dripping off his mustache because he tasted it to make sure it was fresh.  There is the classic line "Careful man, there's a beverage here!" when at one point the Dude was concerned about spilling his little friend.  And my favorite, when put in a situation where cream was not available The Dude made a Caucasian with non-dairy creamer.

Now, Dude, "Caucasian" is not a name one would apply to their cocktail where I come from.  In fact it isn't, the Caucasian is known worldwide as a White Russian (where The Dude got his nick-name for them we may never know).  And According to Mr. Boston, this is what it is comprised of:

1 oz. Coffee Liqueur
2 oz. Vodka
Milk or Cream

Pour the first 2 over ice, and top off with the milk or cream.   Just one taste and you'll understand why the Dude loved them so...

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The Big Lebowski Party

A while back I was shocked to find that my friend had never seen The Big Lebowski.  It wasn't because I'm some nut who thinks that "Everyone should see The Big Lebowski!", but because the movie is exactly her sense of humor, it is filled with some of her favorite actors, and she loves the Coen brothers.  Plus, I'm the kind of nut who thinks that everyone should see The Big Lebowski. 

It is, in my opinion, the funniest movie of all time.  But the best part about it is that it gets funnier every time you see it.  The humor is so subtle and complex that many of the best jokes are missed upon a first, second, and even third viewing.  (But I digress, this is a party idea not a movie review.) 

Imagine my concern over the next few weeks when I found out that 2 different buddies girlfriends, my cousin's girlfriend, and another buddy's sister had never seen the movie!  "That's it!"  I'd thrown my fist down on the table, "...We're having a viewing party!"  And just like that, we were planning the next free night we all had to get together and watch The Big Lebowski.

The Big Lebowski is not so much a movie, as it is a lifestyle (just ask these people).  I would be remiss to have people over for a viewing and not go all out.  So here's how it went down: people came over (in costume of their favorite Lebowski character if they liked) for Caucasians early in the evening, a full menu of Lebowski themed nosh, and we started the movie around 8pm.  Party achievied!  Check out the menu below and I hope to have it linked to full recipes soon.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think (just like the movie, you might have to try this more than once)...

The Dude's Caucasian
Oat Sodas
Sarsaparilla

Quintana's Nachos
The Stranger's Sarsaparilla Pulled Pork Sammies
Bunny's Garden:
     Corvette Corn on the Cob
     Grilled Asparagus
     Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Lingonberry Quinoa Salad
Maude's Artisan Roasted Chicken
Pigsh'n Blankshitz
Walter's Coffee Cake (Store bought I have to admit)

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Iron-Style Beans

Here is the first of what I hope becomes many "Iron-Style" recipes posted here on the Polymouth.  "Iron-Style" meaning I basically just made something up, and it ended up good enough that I would like to make it again.  I usually eyeball ingredients when I'm in the kitchen, so be sure to taste often to make sure nothing is too out of whack, but I will try to estimate as close as possible.

A week or so ago the weather was nice enough to get the BBQ going.  So we got some sausages, grilled some corn on the cob and potatoes, and I came up with a twist on baked beans.  They are creamy, sweet, and with just the right amount of kick to keep things interesting.

Ingredients:
2, 15 oz. cans of Beans (I used Cannellini but Pinto, or Black Beans will work too)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Vinegar (Apple Cider Preferred)
2 oz. Packet of Ranch Seasoning Mix
1-2 Tbsp Hot Horseradish
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Warm brown sugar and vinegar in a pot over medium high heat.  Once the sugar and vinegar are blended and smooth add both cans of beans.
2. After about 5 minutes add the ranch packet, horseradish (1 or 2 Tbsps depending on how much kick you want), and cumin and stir in evenly.
3. As soon as the mixture begins to boil it is ready, add salt and pepper if needed.

I plan on making this again for our next BBQ, I'm thinking of adding Bacon or Pancetta, and Garlic, and maybe some Italian Parsley for garnish.  This one is a work in progress, and any feedback is much appreciated.  Give it a shot and let me know how it goes....

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