Mr. Brownstone

If you had told me 20 years ago, that Slash and Steven Adler would be the two members of Guns N' Roses that would have a special spot in my heart in 2009, I would have called you a filthy liar. Adler just wasn't tough enough for my 12 year old fake bad-ass self, and Slash was just ugly. Yes, I can admit that I was that shallow in 1989. However, after my 32 year old self read Stephen Davis' Watch You Bleed, and watched a gut-wrenching season of Steven Alder on Celebrity Rehab, I think I know why you're not the filthy liar I would have accused you of being.

Steven Adler, now, is just like a sad, lonely stray dog. He was so young when it all started. If ever there was a victim of 80's metal, it's him. Young, dumb, and wanting to fit in - His body and mind have been through so much, that he seems to be the same, still to this day. The first episode of Celebrity Rehab started with him crying, high, on his couch. There was a fist-sized hole in the wall behind him, and he sobbed about wanting to talk to his friend Slash. It was such a sad scene. I hope that in a moment of sobriety, he sees it all, and it helps him. But, I doubt his mind has the capacity for that sort of clarity now. Any semblance of an adult mind is long gone. He's still a child, who just wants his friend; His friend who has long since moved on. His friend who very likely helped to make him this way. His friend who was just luckier in the long run, and could have easily ended up in the same state.

I can remember watching, gleefully, as Slash cursed and sloshed around on stage at the American Music Awards in 1990. I never liked him anyway, and he was making a fool of himself, but I thought it was great. At almost 13, it seemed so cool to me. He was making a stand against all the old fogeys (and Tipper Gore) and I loved it. In Stephen Davis' book, I got to read all the real truths, that I always knew about, but never knew the depths of. The amount of drugs and sex and harmful things these young men put themselves through is truly astounding. Somehow though, Slash seems to be the one who made it out alive. He became whatever likeness of a grown-up a rock star can become. He got his shit together, and made something of himself as a person.

Today, Slash keeps alive just a tiny bit of the feelings I had for that moment in time - My innocence to think that these guys were truly wonderful and that their existence was something great. I think a lot of us felt that Guns N' Roses might be akin to the Beatles, for our time. The Great Band that we'd all look back on with pride. I don't think we'll ever really have anything like that though, ever again. I know my generation doesn't. And, I'm pretty sure The Jonas Brothers aren't going to be remembered all that fondly in 40 years.

I was naive and so young then. Being born at the end of the generation, meant that I had no idea of the reality of what was going on. I couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of torture these people put their minds, bodies, and souls through. It honestly makes me sick to think about now. I may still get goosebumps when the opening cords of "Sweet Child o' Mine" come on the radio, but then I remember reading that Slash hated playing that part of the song. It ruins it for me a little, because it reminds me that they are real people, and not Idols. But then, I remember how it made me feel when I was young, and it just takes me back.

Timetable Amendments

I spoke about the basic schedule I had in mind for this blog in this post. With the constraints of time, resources, and ideas I've decided to amend this schedule, just slightly.

Prize Drawing Product Reviews will now be posted on the 1st Monday of the month. The winner of that prize drawing will be announced the 2nd Monday of the month. With that, there will not be a review posted on the 2nd Monday of the month. However, all other Mondays in any given month will include some sort of review. It might be a restaurant review, a book review, a movie review, or any other product review. Starting next Monday, things should be on a regular schedule.

I plan to stay on task, with the weekly Friday recipe reviews, as well as the Wednesday picture pages. If you have any products or recipes you think I might like to review, please leave a comment and let me know. I'm open to almost any suggestions.

Thanks, and stay tuned!

Recipe Review - Chocolate Strawberry Dump Cake

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY DUMP CAKE

INGREDIENTS
1 package Jiffy Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1lb fresh strawberries
1.5 tbsp water
1 stick butter - melted

DIRECTIONS
Filling:
Chop strawberries into large chunks
In a mixing bowl, combine strawberry pieces with sugar and water, and stir until all sugar is dissolved

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°
Spray a small baking dish with Pam (you can use almost any small baking dish - 8X8 square, 8" round, loaf pan, etc)
Melt 1 stick of butter in a microwave safe dish, or on the stove top
Dump strawberry mixture into baking dish
Dump Jiffy cake mix evenly on top of strawberry mixture
DO NOT STIR
Spoon melted butter, as evenly as possible, on top of cake mix
Again, DO NOT STIR
Sprinkle 1tbsp of sugar on top of butter

Bake for 55 mins @ 350°
Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving
Enjoy!

My usual dump cake recipe uses canned apple pie filling and Jiffy brand yellow cake mix. I've always wanted to switch it up a little, and try it with a chocolate cake mix. I gave it a go once, using canned strawberry pie filling and a Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix, and it did not cook properly. The cake mix stayed powdery, so I assume the Jiffy cake mix is the trick to this recipe. I noticed that the Homeland near our house carries the Jiffy Devil's Food Cake mix, so I had to give it a try.

I don't particularly care for strawberry pie filling, and I don't like cherries at all, so I experimented a little further. I decided to make my own sort of filling. I think it turned out pretty good. I found the dessert very rich and sweet, with a tart bite to it at the end. I can see how it would not be for everyone. However, I am very fond of rich desserts, so I thought it was wonderful.

Keith enjoyed the cake part, which when cooked in this way, turns out to be a sort of brownie consistency. It's really very good. He was not fond of the strawberry filling, and I can understand how some wouldn't be. Keith actually thinks it might be tasty using the chocolate cake mix, and the apple pie filling. I'm not sure that's something I will ever be brave enough to try, but if I do, I'll be sure to let you know the outcome.

If you'd like to try this recipe yourself, and don't mind the taste of canned strawberry pie filling, feel free to use that. You would need an approximately 20oz can. For those who like cherry pie filling, that might be a good thing to try with this Devil's Food cake mix as well.

Just remember, using the Jiffy brand cake mix seems to be what makes this recipe a success.

If you have a recipe or product you'd like me to review, please let me know. Just leave a comment - I'm open to almost any suggestions.

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations, Mary!

You are soon to be the proud new owner of a starter kit of Purex 3-in-1 Pure & Clean laundry sheets. I will attempt to contact you on Facebook and through E-mail. If I can get in touch with you before noon (Central time) tomorrow, I will be sending your lovely prize to you then. If not, it will be sometime next week.

Congratulations!!!

And, a special thanks to EVERYONE who participated in my first prize drawing. I'm going to attempt to do 1 per month, so please stay tuned!

Now, let's just hope that it's legal to send Purex to Germany.

P.S. Mary, go watch the video link that I added to the bottom of the original post, if you haven't already.

Friday's Recipe Review - Coming Soon

I'm sorry everyone, but Friday's Recipe Review will have to be put off until Saturday. I didn't finish writing it up last night, and it's 5:30am right now, and there's just no way it's getting done this early in the morning.

But, Keith is working tomorrow morning, so I will finish it up either tonight or tomorrow morning, and I promise it will be posted by noon tomorrow.

Now, in about 2 1/2 hours, I'll be choosing the random winner of the Prize Drawing. I'll post the results at around 1pm this afternoon.

Until then...

Operation Find Don

Please see the link below.

http://tomatonation.com/?p=1592

I've been reading Tomato Nation for years. Sars has provided me with a lot of good laughs, so I figured I owed her at least this much, to post a link to her search for Don.

Don was her 9/11 buddy that day in NYC. And it was his birthday. She feels that she owes him a cold beer.

It's a long shot, since most of us are in Oklahoma, but it's worth a try, right?

21 - 3 - 17

A lot of you are aware of my unnatural (yes, I admit it) hatred for the Sonic guys. You know, those really annoying guys from the Sonic Drive-in commercials? Yeah, I dislike them. A lot. They're not funny. Anyway, I'm even more annoyed with them after the new commercial I saw early yesterday morning.

The really stupid guy, the one who usually sits in the passenger seat, remembers his high school locker combination. So do I! And now I'm ashamed of that fact. Thanks, Sonic!

Yes, yes, I realize these guys are just playing characters in commerials, and that they're not real. That somehow makes my hatred even more heated. I don't know why. That's just the way it is.

At least now I know that I'm not the only person in the world who remembers her locker combination 15 years later. Even if the Sonic guy isn't real, I know someone writes those commercials, and I have to believe that person also remembers their locker combination.

So, anyone else remember theirs? Come on, people. Please tell me it's not just me and the stupid Sonic guy.