THIS. . . . IS. . . . FLENKER!!!!!

Welcome all, to the beginning of the celebratory week, starting off with my 300th post! It's going to be a lot like the movie 300, but with less half-naked dudes and no weird dancing naked girl, but more grunting, more gravely voices, and more over-the-top dramatics. And who knows, I may kick someone down a well!

What else can you look forward to seeing? Well, my daily music recommendations will be back for a little while, maybe another photo story or two, a couple guest posts, maybe the force behind the Unified Theory of Flenker, and some highlights from the past. Oh, and I've decided I'm going to become a cheese connoisseur, so you have that to look forward to, as well.

Today, besides the wonderful photo above (it's supposed to be a 300, get it? Made with relics from my diet of late, frozen pizzas, beer, and Diet Dr Pepper), I'll start right in on the music recommendations!

This is one group that I've been really excited about lately, I'm not sure if it's because I really like their stuff (I do!) or that I think the girls in the band are really cute, especially the lead singer.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you - minipop!

(there's a couple places where there are some pantheon-level bad acting moments. It's alright with me, they're a band, not an improv troupe)

I first heard them on my XM Radio as I was driving back from Austin, and damn, I liked it a lot. Somewhere on their myspace page, they describe themselves as "dream pop;" I can't think of a better way to describe them, that's exactly how they sound. They have the above song, along with a few others, on their myspace page, which at the moment is serving as their only website. Play them, feel dreamy, sit back, comment, and enjoy the ride that will be Celebration Week!

Any suggestions on anything you can give would be great, if you have a band I should check out, a favorite post from the past, a delicious cheese I should check out, let me know! And be sure to check out my friends off to the right there. There are some excellent blogs, something to entertain, or just kill time. And, as always, leave comments. We get warm fuzzy feelings when people do that.

Everything tastes better cooked outside

KP is in town for the What Made Milwaukee Famous show, so we're going to be hanging out in a little bit. In the meantime, I thought I'd tell everyone about my dinner tonight.

Since it's another beautiful day in Iowa City, I got my grill out and cleaned up, and prepared to do some cooking. I had gotten an onion and portobello mushroom cap earlier in the day, and a two liter of Diet Dr Pepper. Unfortunately, I didn't think to check the charcoal situation before the store; when I got my bag out, there were probably 5 or 6 coals. And since they had been outside, they had gotten a little waterlogged. Luckily, the grill I was using is a small one, so I piled up my meager coals and doused them with lighter fluid. After 3 or 4 more dousings, they were ready to cook. First up was the portobello cap with a little olive oil and salt for seasoning. I was sauteing the onion to go with the left-over kielbasa, so I had to keep an eye on two fronts. Of course, I didn't plan the timing very well, so the onions were done well before I had even put the sausage on the grill. Since it was taking so long, I pulled the mushroom off the grill, and finished it off in the toaster oven, with some Norwegian Ridder cheese (pictured). I also toasted the heels of a loaf of Pepperidge Farms Soft Oatmeal bread, then put the portobello on with some of the onions. It was delightful. The cheese has a smooth, mellow flavor, similar to many white French cheeses, something that I just kind of picked up on a whim. I'm glad I did, it has turned into one of my favorite cheeses. (I feel like I'm kind of a cheese buff, but there are so many kinds out there I haven't had.) It went with the smokiness that the portobello had picked up very well, and although a Swiss cheese may have been a little better fit, I was pleased with the outcome.

Next was the main event, the whole reason I wanted to grill tonight. Polish kielbasa. With the grill now picking up heat, I tossed it on and sat outside, eating the sandwich and enjoying the day. I didn't have any fancy buns, just a regular-ass coney, but I toasted it and put some onions and ketchup and horseradish mustard on to sort of spice it up a little. Once the sausage was done, I put it all together in what can only be described as a work of art. With the weather as nice as it is, and the grill being kind to me, it was a great evening experience, one of the better meals I've made in quite some time. And I can't wait to grill again. I just need coals.