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OK, OK. So there's a movie with Malcolm McDowell as a grizzled one-eyed vampire hunter tracking down a heavy metal band full of the undead. And they put Alice Cooper in it. And Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins. And just for the hell of it, they threw in Alex Lifeson (HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT IT'S ALEX LIFESON!) and Moby.

... yeah, I don't know why they got Moby either. But whatever, man. This looks amazing!.

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Last night dinner was "country captain", which is apparently what some people call a kind of highly spiced chicken and fruit stew. I got the basic recipe from the last issue of Bon Appetit, but their recipe was boring so I jazzed it up a bit:

Chicken and fruit stew, aka "country captain"

Seasoning mixture

1 tsp ground coriander
1.5 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp cumin seeds
0.5 tsp whole black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon (or 2 cinammon sticks)
0.5 tsp turmeric
2 tsp five spice powder

Stew mixture

1 small head of cauliflower, trimmed, cut into 1-inch florets (about 4 cups)
Coarse sea salt
Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 pounds chicken thighs, skinned and boned, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces (weight is post-boning)
1 bunch green onions, dark green and white parts chopped separately
1 shallot, minced fine
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 cups seafood broth (or chicken broth if you prefer)
1 cup apple cider
0.5 cups pomegranate juice
16 oz (1 can) crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
1.5 tbsp smooth unsweetened peanut butter
1 small package (10 oz or so) frozen peas
1/4 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped (optional)
Some toasted, unsweetened coconut shavings (optional)

Mix all the seasonings together in a bowl.

Heat some oil (peanut or olive) in a large, heavy dutch oven. Add the cauliflower and a sprinkling of salt and cook on medium-high until soft and slightly browned, 7-10 minutes. Remove the cauliflower and set it aside, add more oil if necessary, and then brown the chicken meat in two separate batches. Add a little salt and a little worcestershire sauce to the chicken as you're browning it, if you like.

Set all the chicken aside in a separate bowl. Add a little more oil if necessary, then add the shallots, ginger, garlic and whites of the green onion and cook for a minute or two. Add all the seasonings and cook, stirring, for another thirty seconds to a minute or so. Add the broth and bring to a low boil, making sure you scrape all the delicious brown stuff off of the bottom and sides of the pot. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, cover loosely and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. Add the peanut butter, the cherries and the bowl of chicken (plus any juices that may have accumulated at the bottom of the bowl), stir, and then add the cider and pomegranate juice. Continue to cook on medium heat, stirring regularly, until chicken is cooked through and stew is desired consistency (but at least twelve minutes). Add the frozen peas, cook for about five more minutes (or until the peas are unfrozen and hot) and serve. Top/garnish with green parts of the green onion and, optionally, the cranberries and some toasted unsweetened coconut shavings.

(no subject)

Hey, did you know that stegoking is in the new Alice in Wonderland movie? Twice, even!

In other news, I woke up this morning with a video game nigh-fully formed in my game. Plot, setting, art direction, system, control scheme, UI. Derivative, but in a way that would very popular and people would think it was original. Oh, for lack of a massive budget and a 50-person team...