everyday celebrity

This is perhaps the most captivating set of images I've seen in a while. In case you're wondering--all the photos were taken at a recent VH1 awards show, and Weird Al and Paris Hilton were the only two who knew who Noah is (he's famous for publishing a video montage of himself composed of a picture taken every day for six years). His expression is by far the best part.

So this Xmas I was lucky enough to get an awesome Wusthof bread knife and a bottle of Knob Creek bourbon...exactly what I wanted, even though I didn't know it. Knob Creek is one of the best bourbons out there...100 proof, so it packs a bit more of a punch than your typical hard liquor; much like Wild Turkey, the so-called Kickin' Chicken. They also manage to pack in considerably more flavor than most bourbons on the market. My dad also was nice enough to repair an awesome black cashmere coat, three-quarters length...exactly what I need for the winter season. God knows how old it is. Also a bottle of really nice balsamic vinegar, a cruet set, and a really cool Montinari book on culture and food.

Last night I saw Blood Diamond, one of the preachy Hollywood movies that gets cranked out towards the end of the year in a vain attempt to garner Oscar nominations. It was actually really good, which was astonishing to me as I haven't seen Leo since Titanic. Also my first time seeing the jaw-dropping Jennifer Connelly on the big screen. Dijmon Honsou was great for someone whose previous acting career consisted of the movie Eragon and some time on Paris catwalks.

Lo-fi pioneers Sebadoh have been filling up my playlists recently ever since I heard Death Cab's amazing live cover of their song "Brand New Love" on the John Byrd EP. There's an enormous amount of material that covers a really wide range of musical styles. It might even make me give Dinosaur Jr. yet another try. I'm also in the process of downloading a bunch of Dntel...if you like Postal Service, I suggest you give it a try, given as half of Postal Service IS Dntel.

I'll leave you with a recipe for some pretty serious cheese puffs. I call them "Gougeres" but just because I speak French. If you don't want to be snotty about it you can just call them cheese puffs. They come together really easily and, once you get the recipe down (i.e. the second time you do it), are ready within 30 minutes of your decision to start making them. Seriously.

Start by washing your hands. Always wash your hands! Then start again by preheating the oven to 435 F. Start once more with:
4 tbsp butter
2/3ds c. water
1/2 tsp salt
and put them all in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Once it's melted and the water is simmering, add
1 c. all-purpose flour
and stir until it's incorporated. Cook it over the heat for 3-5 minutes, still stirring (your arm will start to hurt), until all the little crumbs start to adhere into one doughy ball, and toss the ball into a mixing bowl. Rinse the saucepan quickly, because that mixture will crust up within seconds and you'll spend years trying to get it off. One by one, add
2 eggs
beating after each addition. The dough should be glossy. Stir in
2/3ds c. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
2/3ds c. Parmesan or other hard cheese, grated.
Drop heaping teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until they just start to brown. I adapted the recipe from an old NY Times one, in case you're wondering.