The Extra Mile

KITCHEN ADVENTURE: Last week was a busy week. A REALLY busy week. I had decided that Sunday I was going to do next-to-nothing.

That next-to-nothing included making pasta from scratch for the first time. :)

I have been talking about making pasta for years. Specifically, ravioli. But it has been all talk until today. Not sure why I was so hesitant to actually do it. It turns out it's really quite simple to make.

We followed a well-reviewed recipe, "Homemade Four Cheese Ravioli," very closely since it was our first foray. Like most any pasta recipe you'll find, it involved making a well (kind of volcano shaped)  on the countertop.

Then, you pour in your liquid (eggs, oil, a little water).

 You work the flour into the liquid a little at a time.

 Pretty soon you have a dough that you need to knead.

 Once that's done, the dough ball goes into the fridge to rest for a bit.

While the dough is resting, you're working. It's time to make the filling.

Also, in our case, it was time to make some sauce. The recipe called for a jar of marinara sauce. That struck me as so odd. Why would you make homemade pasta and then put store-bought marinara on it? Weird.

It's especially weird since marinara sauce is so easy and cheap to make. I chose to go with "Super Simple Marinara Sauce Recipe from Cookie + Kate. I followed it pretty closely, but added some red wine, of course. It made our house smell so wonderful, and it was delicious!

Before too long, it was time to get our rested dough ball rolled out on the countertop.

 We dolloped the filling onto the dough.

 And then we cut out our raviolis.

 After pressing the perimeter seams together, it was into the boiling water for them. The recipe said they were done when they rose to the top of the pot. That took about four minutes.

We fished them out and put them onto a greased cookie sheet and then into the oven for about five minutes.

Then, it was time to dish them up and enjoy.

Now that I'm an expert (ha ha) there are definitely things I would do differently next time.

For starters, the pasta was way too tough, IMHO. The recipe called for kneading the dough for 8-10 minutes. That was clearly way too long. Interestingly enough, Annabelle and I watched a random making-pasta video on YouTube before starting, and the dude in it kneaded for just 4-5 minutes.

Also, I'd roll the dough out a *lot* thinner. The recipe we used called for it as thick as a nickel. I think a dime would have been better.

All that said, I'm super happy we finally attempted making pasta, and am looking forward to making better pasta in the future.

ROCKIN' SPOKANE STYLE: Sunday morning we were up super early. I had to take CJ and Christian to the airport. Their destination was Spokane, and a rock show. They *had* to go there because CJ really wanted to see a metal band that is (allegedly) on their farewell tour. No idea why they decided to play Spokane instead of Seattle, but it was what it was. 

I'll have CJ tell you more about their experience. ...

Since their formation in 1981, thrash metal legends Slayer have inspired metal bands all over the world, continuing to release new music up to 2015's Repentless LP. Last year, Slayer announced that they were embarking on a farewell tour, bringing various other metal bands as openers. For the first time in their careers, Slayer got to headline arenas (as opposed to headlining clubs, or opening for more popular bands like Slipknot at arenas).

"The Final Campaign," the final leg of Slayer's farewell tour, featured three supporting bands: Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals (AKA former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo's Pantera cover band), Ministry, and Primus.

Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals were the first act to perform. Their set was near-exclusively composed of Pantera covers, unsurprising considering Phil Anselmo's best-known work. However, the concert made it clear (at least to those who didn't know yet, I certainly did) that Phil Anselmo's voice and stage presence are both long past their prime. He was often woefully off-pitch, and struggled to keep up with the tempo of the other musicians - even during the slower songs. While Phil Anselmo's set wasn't horrible, it certainly wasn't good.

At this point, I tried to sneak down to the floor, largely to get to the mosh pit. Even though I tried to get past distracted guards dealing with large crowds of people, I got caught, and was told that I would get kicked out if I tried to sneak in again.
Ministry's set was mostly good, and they had a sense of energy and interest in the show. I'm not familiar with Ministry's discography, so I can't really comment on whether or not they lived up to their Glory Days™.

Primus, the penultimate act of the night, was... an experience, to put it lightly. I'm not a very big fan of Primus' studio work, so I already didn't have a good feeling going in. Primus extensively utilized the video screen behind them during their set, playing clips of videos that (supposedly) went along with the songs. The nadir of Primus' set (and likely the entire concert) was when Les Claypool, a fifty-six-year-old man, described himself as "a throbbing penis." I am not making that up.

At 9 P.M., metal legends Slayer finally began their set. Their opener was the title track from Repentless, their latest album. Slayer's set covered their storied career, all the way from their 1983 debut Show No Mercy, up to the present. Those familiar with Slayer know that their songwriting is consistent, if not mildly formulaic. Even songs that I didn't know as well were great to rock out to. Throughout their entire set, Slayer maintained a great sense of energy - an impressive feat, considering that at least one member is nearing 60. Slayer did not perform an encore, but considering the quality of their performance that night, I don't think one was necessary.

So there you have it.

Despite CJ not wanting to be in a seat, it looks like they had really good seats. Per their website, the arena seats 11,661 in this set up.