Tag: tonytown.com

Ferociously Friendly Friday #FF

Tony's Birthday DragonWe all look forward to Fridays.

It’s probably because they are Fridays. Let loose, cut loose, grab your friends, check out a new scene, catch a show, gather at a friends, cook out, hit a party…whatever it is you do on the weekend, Friday is what sets the tone.

This Friday has been just a hair outside the norm. There are so many things going on that my eyes got crossed. I have the opportunity to come out and meet a pretty cool twitter friend at a local club. The Stars regular season opener is tonight, in which fektons of friends and tweeps are going. There is a really good band (The Mind Spiders) playing in Denton tonight. This is the last weekend of DTC’s production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ at the Wyly Theater. AND, a very awesome little girl named Sydney made me a dragon for my birthday and I have to go visit and accept said gracious gift this evening.

So. I have this HUGE deal about not showing up or being there for kiddos when they are expecting me for something they consider important. Ergo, I am meeting up with my friends and they insanely cool daughter is going to give me my present…(yes, that a photo of the dragon she made me) πŸ˜‰

Anyhow last week this came up in some conversations and really just makes better sense to me. Who you follow on twitter should be based on interest, not on building reciprocal followers. That said, I’m going to *try* to do this every Friday. I’ll be present a few cool peeps that I follow on Twitter. If it’s going to be called “Follow Friday” I am making sure you know why I recommend them.

Here’s this week’s awesome people:

@TheRealChes Ches is a geek, a supermom, a great coder, and most importantly she’s got a pretty damn good sense of humor. We been friends for a pretty long time and she’s got a good .02 for you when she sees fit πŸ˜‰

@MarkRamseyhttp://markramsey.com Mark is a buddy back from my college days and is a pretty fun guy to listen to. He’s got tons going on and has two internet shows, in addition to running multiple other businesses and is a great resource for almost anything tech. Check him out!

@Melysa_Shttp://sexliesandbacon.com I kind of consider Melysa an authority on snark πŸ˜‰ She’s a pretty funny and her quest(s) to find the right guy are pretty funny to follow.

So here’s to a great start on the weekend πŸ˜‰ have a great weekend everyone!

-T




What is a fekton?

Fekton is Shocking - Tonytown.comI have this infrequent habit of creating a word specifically in order to shrug of the negative karma the internet bestows upon me when I inadvertently use a fekton of language that would otherwise be considered profane, offensive, or ill-considered.

In this case, the word fekton specifically refers to an unimaginable amount of something, that is – so much of an object, item, or substance that it is immeasurable. Strangely enough this word rhymes very closely with a two word phrase that also describes an unimaginable amount of something.

fekton (fuhk tuhn)
(fuk’ tun)
1) An unimaginable amount of something; so much of an object, item, or substance that it is immeasurable.
2) A lot more than an ‘A$$ Load’ or ‘$h1t Ton’

Thats pretty much it. I have been taking a break from posting a regularly because, well…sometimes I need a break, and I’d prefer not to encumber my blog with a fekton of fluff πŸ˜‰

That said..yes, I am in fact a big dork that really does do this πŸ˜‰




Spaghetti Night in TonyTown!!!!

There are art forms…here…on Earth…among men. One of them is cooking good stuff…like spaghetti. Mine is pretty good, so I am sharing.

Now I will list this stuff off to you so you know what I am doing to yield food that usually makes me a popular guy of the evening on Spaghetti Night in TonyTown.

Qui sono gli ingredienti!

Sauce Ingredients:
16-32oz of Barilla Spaghetti No.5 or De Cecco Spaghetti No.11 <- The best!!!! (Always go for al dente!!!!)
1 12oz Can of tomato sauce
1 12oz can of diced tomatoes
1 12oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 12oz can of tomato paste
1 14oz-15oz can of whole tomatoes
(Can you see where this is going? Its enough sauce to feed an army!!)
1 Whole fresh white onion – diced
2 bell peppers – diced, no seeds unless you’re weirder than me and like them
16oz of whole mushrooms
1/2 cup of chopped green onions
6oz Pinot Noire

The following seasons are used, but it’s up to the cook as to the amounts, as some people will NOT like my amounts.
Rosemary: 1-2 tablespoons
Thyme: 1 tablespoons
Sage: 1 tablespoon
Oregano: 2-4 tablespoons
Basil: 1-2 tablespoons
Garlic: At least 6 toes. Minced.

Meats.
If available, use 2-4lbs if fresh Italian sausage for the meatballs, I prefer the spiciest I can get my hands on. Roll into balls ~1.5″ in diameter.

Tempo per preparare la festa …
All this is in order…

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Sauce.
Time to make: 1hr
The sauce is the easiest part, but also takes the longest. Modify to your desires, as I am very big on not overcooking the sauce. Set your sauce pot/pan on Med-low flame (same on electric) and open all the tomato cans listed above and pour them in. Immediately add the white onion, bell peppers, and green onions. Also add the Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Oregano, and minced garlic. We’re going to add the mushrooms in later.

The Meatballs.
Now, with saucepan #2, take those whole mushrooms and mix them together with 2 cups water, 6oz Pinot Noire, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1tbsp black pepper, 1tbsp basil, and 1tbsp of oregano. Leave on medium heat and stir occasionally, when simmered, add the meatballs and warm them up and steep them until they are no longer red in color, the entire batch shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes…if you need to increase heat accordingly.

Pasta.
Very easy, boil pasta al dente. The best temperatures and instructions tend to be on the package you’re buying. If the instructions don’t tell you they are al dente, keep an eye on the paste about 75% of the way into cooking the pasta and you’ll find the right texture easily.

Finishing Up.
Take the prepped meatballs now slightly cooked and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet and place in oven, cook until browned (usually ~25-35 minutes the way I like them). Take the mushrooms and drop them in the pasta sauce, which should be pretty warm now and cooking rather tastily.

Extras you don’t want to forget!
Garlic bread!
I Prefer big honkin’ loaves of crusty bread slices in half, each half spread generously with butter, garlic, and basil. Broil to desired crispiness πŸ˜‰ I know there are a lot better recipes for garlic bread but most of them call for turning the spread into a very oily batter/spread and it’s a personal preference not to πŸ˜‰

Salad!
I will usually chop up a head of romaine lettuce and throw it in a bowl and top with baby roma tomatoes, shredded Colby-jack, chopped purple onions, and garlic croutons. I am a big balsamic vinaigrette fan, but most people actually like Parmesan vinaigrettes more.