It's Borderline Genius: 2014

Alright, alright. I might have oversold it slightly - not ALL of these 69 ideas are borderline genius. Some are just borderline. Others are straight up genius. That said, being single, original, AND creative in a town full of creatives is sometimes tricky... so I've decided to be charitable and help out those guys eager enough to ask me out with my list of 69 dates that I'd like to be taken on.

BUT if you're one of those "single, original, AND creative" guys who has a list of your own... by all means, if there's just one thing you learn from the fact that I've even made a list like this, I'm totally game for anything! And please if there are a ton of great ideas that I'm missing - by all means let me know in the comments below :). I just wanted to get to 69... but I'm always down for more.

Let the dating begin.

Tasting Menu at Providence, because really what girl is going to say no to that?
Secret beef at Totoraku, again, see #1. And yes, I'm a foodie so these are obviously going at the top.
Omakase dinner at Urasawa
Impromptu dinner at Petit Trois, because I still haven't gone.
Maruhide Uni Club. I've been once. Hungover. Even then it was an epically hilarious and awesome experience. One I'd like to try again. Must love uni. (Check)
Tasting menu at Alma, or just dinner at Alma. Since all they do are tasting menus ;).
Seasonal dinner at Maude.
Courtside seats at a Laker's game. I've pretty much seen them from everywhere else, but never been baller enough to make it up front.
Shoot shotguns at Mike Raahauge's and drink whiskey. Yes, I am that type of girl.
Outdoor movie night at Barnsdall Art Park. This is easily my favorite outdoor movie screening series...
Drive-In movie at Vineland Pacific Theaters.
Seeing a show at the theater in the Ace Hotel. I love checking out new venues and this one I've yet to see.
For-the-Record at the DBA. Went to Tarantino. Excited for Baz.
Bouldering at LA Boulders. (Or Rockreation, but I haven't seen the new downtown climbs yet.)
Visit the Museum of Jurassic Technology. If you get it like I get it, then we'll get along great.
Bends & Booze at Golden Road. I worked with Living Social Adventures too long - all fun workout activities should always be paired with booze!
Bottles of wine, the sunset, and Yamashiro Farmer's market. They all go together so nicely.
Line dancing at Cowboy Country Saloon. In addition to my whiskey and shotgun loving, Country music also gets me going.
Check out the Abandoned Zoo in Griffith Park. It'll be Instagram worthy.
Speaking of Instagram worthy, also checking out Sunken City.
I used to go to the Ballona Wetlands when I was a kid and help with the environmental clean-up. It'd be nice to do it again!
Jump on the Do Good Bus. And just do some more good.
Spin the OOMO Cube in Little Tokyo and pretend we're at Astor Place. And then probably go gorge on ramen or other yummy things.
Cliff Jump (but not from the super high one) in the Malibu Creek State Park
What listing please? Batman. Batman? Batman. Visit the Bronson Canyon Caves. Also visit the Hollywood Lake, because who knew THAT was a thing?
Go see the Endeavor. I know, you've probably already done that. But I haven't. And it's a space shuttle. Can you really ever see it TOO many times? Also bicycle across that tight-rope thing and pretend to pick me roses in the rose garden.
Paddleboat in Echo Park.
Beat me in Skee-Ball at One Eyed Gypsy. I love parlor games, but aside from Jenga I'm not SUPER great at them. Jenga tho? I'll kick your ass.
Eat Oysters every day for a week!

Monday - $1 Oysters at Delphine in Hollywood (5pm - 10:30pm)
Tuesday - $1 Oysters at Pearl's Liquor Bar (All night)
Wednesday - $1 Oysters at The Churchill (6pm - midnight)
Thursday - $1 Oysters at Back House Restaurant (4pm - 6:30pm // 10pm - close)
Friday - $2 Oysters at Joe's Restaurant (6pm - close)

Sky Zone in Torrance. Yep.
Murphy Ranch. Dilapidated graffitied buildings are kind of awesome.
Buy me a lap dance at Jumbo's Clown Room. Or the Body Shop. Two different kinds of nights.
Take cheesy photos at LACMA. Under the rock. In the street lights. And post them on Tinder.
Visit the Abalone Cove Tide Pools... but are we allowed to eat the Uni if we find them?
Shitty Jobs at UCB. It just reminds me how much I actually like my job.
Get all dressed up go to a screening at Last Remaining Seats.
High tea at the Huntington Library and Gardens. Oh and chase the peacocks. They probably frown on that, but let's be rebels.
Opaque - Dining in the Dark. Again - life experiences. Still haven't done this.
Take me to a Wolvesden dinner, because Craig Thornton is a genius artist chef.
Check out a cool exhibit at Gallery 1988. Granted nothing will beat the "There's Always Money in the Banana Stand" show.
Stop and smell the roses at Descanso Gardens.
The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail. Yay nerds and Meltdown Comics!
Design me a meaningful and FUN bar crawl :)
Strawberry picking at Underwood Family Farms.
Find the underground tunnels in LA? And then sip on some prohibition cocktails afterwards. Be sure to pour some out for the homies.
Dine at the Cafe at the End of the Universe and then head into the Griffith Observatory to check out the stars.
Cheap massages, Din Tai Fung, and shopping at 99 Ranch.
Sunset Horseback Ride to a Mexican Restaurant. Yeah. It's a thing. And apparently the "fun" is had when you ride back after a few Margaritas.
Hike the Shipwreck Trail. I don't really like hikes, but I do like cool shipwrecks.
Maybe not a first date - but checking out Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch... on the way to Vegas? (Check)
Ostrich Farm!! Yeah I've been... But I'll go again.
Speaking of farms, the Llama and Alpaca farm is also on that list.
Visit the Echo Park Travel Mart & Wackos
Turtle Racing at Brennen's!
Tour the South Bay Refinery
Check out the Insane Asylum to the PanIQ Room.
See Sleep No More Opening Weekend in LA (hopefully still a very true rumor... )
Question the meaning of life at the Topanga Lookout.
Slightly skeptical at this one since I am NOT one for scary things - but I do enjoy interactive theater experiences, so checking out the Haunted Play: Delusion. Warned, I WILL scream in your ear - and am prone to panic outbreaks. But it does look really freaking cool.
Check into No Vacancy at Hotel Juniper.
Ox Penis Soup at Nature's Pagoda. We might need a 3rd party to hook this one up - unless you happen to speak Chinese?
Don our best Medieval attire and hit the RenFaire (Renaissance Pleasure Faire) because that seems like something that should be done at least once.
Attend a polo match at Will Rogers state park.
Play a game of Catan. Just. I LOVE this game and have no one to play with!
Zipline in Venice Beach. Or if we want to make a day trip out of it - Catalina.
Have an "intimate animal encounter" at the LA Zoo.
Pirate Dinner Adventure. Because Medieval Times is so 1996.
Beat Ms. Pac-Man at EightyTwo.
Get lucky.

Additional Ideas!!

I've now knocked a bunch of these off the list so here's a few new ones I've found that I'd want to try!

- Check out the stars at the Griffith Observatory

- Visit the Chandelier Tree in Silver Lake & maybe hit up Little Dom's afterwards for oysters and champagne.

- Watch planes take off at Clutter's Park with brown bagged wine and snacks.

- Visit Paramount Ranch and take silly photos!

- Party it up at KCREW's summer nights.

- Enjoy a kaleidoscope of colors at Randyland in Echo Park.
- Hike the Wisdom Tree and leave nice words for fellow adventures.

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"It's the best thing I've ever tasted" - Carson Daly

Who doesn't love a good deep fried chicken wing, right? But then add in a college staple... Ramen... and something magical happens. You have the best boozy sunday funday, kick up your feet, turn on a little football (I can say that now... I've played in a LEAGUE) and nosh down on the latest trend I'm trying to make happen...

The Ramen-Crusted Chicken Wings

by Nicole Iizuka, POPSUGAR Food

Yield: 6-8 wings

{Ingredients}

1 lb. chicken wings

1 gallon vegetable oil

{Dry Batter}

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. baking powder

{Wet Batter}

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup vodka

1 packet ramen seasoning

2 packages Top Ramen, crumbled

{Dipping Sauce}

1 tsp. sriracha hot chili sauce

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. scallions, finely chopped

{Instructions}

STEP 1 Rinse chicken wings in cold water, and pat dry

STEP 2 Mix together dry batter ingredients in a bowl, and set aside. Then mix together wet batter ingredients in a separate bowl.

STEP 3 Break apart the dry ramen into a third bowl. You want the pieces to be small enough that they will stick to the chicken but large enough so they still have their shape.

STEP 4 Heat oil in a cast-iron pan or nonstick skillet to medium heat, 325ºF. You want it to be hot enough to slowly brown the chicken wings.

STEP 5 Take a chicken wing, and first coat it in the dry batter. Shake off any excess, and dip it in the wet batter. Have a food-safe brush to brush off any excess batter. You want to get a nice, thin coating.

STEP 6 Place the wing into the oil, and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning every minute to get an even browning.

STEP 7 Onto a paper-towel-lined cooking sheet, drain the excess oil off of the wing. Repeat with all of the wings.

STEP 8 Take the par-cooked wing back to the wet batter, and brush on a thin coating to help the ramencrust stick to the wing. Then dip the wing in the crumbled ramen before placing it back into the hot oil.

STEP 9 Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the outside has browned

STEP 10 Mix together sriracha hot chili sauce, rice vinegar, and scallions to serve with the warm wings

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Apparently my mind just keeps going to darker and weirder places when brainstorming cupcake ideas. But the end results? They keep getting better and better... This weeks confection was inspired by one of my favorite burgers in the city... Stout Burgers "Six Weeker" camembert/fig/mild jack/arugula/caramelized onions. Burgers & Cupcakes... oh my!

I pulled the sweet fig and caramelized onions out of the mix, but I wanted to add a touch of sour & savory so I decided to swap out the creamy cheese flavors for a slightly sharper blue.

Fig & Blue BurgerCakes

1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup soft blue cheese
1/2 cup fig jam
1 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
2 pats of butter
1 lb of ground beef
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced green onions

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. in a bowl, combine white sugar, 1/4 cup of butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup soft blue cheese, 1/4 cup fig jam. mix until combined. in a skillet melt your pat of butter and over low heat saute your red onions with a tiny sprinkle of sugar, until they are soft and browned. mix in half to your cupcake batter and save the other half to use as a garnish. line your cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way. bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

while your cupcakes are baking, it's time to make your mini-burger patties! in a bowl mix your meat with worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. make balls the size of a large marble and then flatten into 2 inch patties. on your still hot skillet add another pat of butter to coat the pan. grill your burger patties until they are nicely browned. drain over paper towels.

in a bowl, mix together the rest of your blue cheese with heavy cream until it becomes a spreadable consistency. if you need to use more cream, do so. add in your fig jam and mix.

once you're ready to assemble, spread some of the blue cheese and fig mixture on top. garnish with a mini burger patty, a pinch of caramelized onions and a sprinkle of green onion. enjoy!

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I'm always surfing the web looking for new ideas or sparks of inspiration. While on one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman, I stumbled upon what looks like an amazing and refreshing summertime salad. Grilled Romaine? What?

However sadly our BBQ died at the end of last summer, and we haven't quite gotten off our asses to buy a new one, so I decided to take the essence of this salad and turn it into a cupcake. Strawberries, check. Balsamic, check. Gorgonzola? Sure, why not? I mean the creamy blue worked well with the fig in my burgercake creation. Now, I realize that my taste buds veer a little on the strange end of the pool, but my trusted crop of taste testers gave this one a giant gold star!

Gorgonzola, Strawberry & Balsamic Cupcakes
yield 2 dozen mini cupcakes || 10 minutes prep; 20 minutes cook

1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 box of powdered sugar
1 stick of butter softened

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. Cut your 1 1/2 sticks of softened butter into chunks and mix in. Then add in your wet ingredients, eggs, milk & vanilla extract. Spoon in to your cupcake tray until 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

While you're cupcakes are baking, heat up a small sauce pan and pour in your balsamic. Once your balsamic is boiling, add in a 1/4 cup of the diced strawberries, 1 tbsp of sugar and turn down the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for a few minutes until the sugar is melted and the balsamic has reduced slightly to a syrup. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl whip the remaining stick of butter until it is nice and fluffy. Slowly pour in a tablespoon of your reduced strawberry balsamic sauce, until your frosting develops a nice brown color and a softer texture.

With each cupcake, cut a hole in the middle out. Stuff in a piece of strawberry, a few crumbles of Gorgonzola and top with your balsamic buttercream frosting. To garnish, sprinkle on a few more crumbles of cheese and a drizzle of the remaining balsamic sauce!

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Bacon Jam whaaaaat? As you can imagine, what with me being a Bacon Aficionado (I was trying to go with an alliteration, but couldn't think of a clever synonym that started with B) the moment that the amazing Lorraine Elliott of Not Quite Nigella posted her recipe, my inbox was flooded.

Because. Nope, I really have no good excuse. I've been wanting to test this out for quite a while, and I finally whittled out a little time in my calendar to give it a go... especially since we're nearing the Grilled Cheese Invitational and I need to start taste testing my sexy grills to come up with the winning combination. Forcing myself to include a variation on Not Quite Nigella's Bacon Jam in my sammie was the perfect way to start testing & experimenting!

Spicy & Sweet Bacon Jam
Adapted from an Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella

1 pound of Trader Joe's Applewood Smoked Bacon (I'm obsessed)
1 head of garlic, diced
1 medium brown onion sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
dash of tabasco
1 cup coffee
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of black pepper
extra water

1. In a non stick pan, fry the bacon in batches until lightly browned and beginning to crisp. Using a pair of scissors cut into 1 inch pieces.

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the rendered bacon fat on medium heat until translucent. Add back in the bacon into what I'm now calling the "Devil's Mirepoix: 1 lb bacon, 1 head of garlic, 1 white onion" a base that I know will make it into several more recipes down the road.

3. Then, transfer the bacon, onion and garlic into a heavy based cast iron pot and add the rest of the ingredients except for the water. Simmer for 2 hours adding 1/4 of a cup of water every 25-30 minutes or so and keep stirring. If you're water is evaporating too quickly, reduce your heat and make sure not to burn your mixture.

4. When ready, cool for about 15-20 minutes and then place in a food processor. Pulse for 2-3 seconds so that you leave some texture to the “jam” and enjoy!

Thoughts after the first round? The spice added a very nice and complex element to the after-taste of the jam, but I think in the next trial I'd like to start with a mixture of regular & roasted garlic to add a little more sweetness, and substitute in balsamic for the vinegar to see how that affects things. Could be good, could be bad, but I'll never know until I try!

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Now I know many of you are going to read this & be like "oh NO she didn't!" But really... you know me. This cupcake should come as no surprise.

Spam is to Hawaiians what Bacon is to the rest of America... that slightly taboo, insanely bad for you, yet insanely delicious meat item which make sudden appearances in truly baffling foods. Wandering around Hawaiian food stands one can find Spam in everything from hamburgers to grilled cheese to sushi to salads to brown sugared desserts, so why not in cupcakes?

Now before you go and get your panties in a bunch, no I didn't slide to the sweet side of the scale. Instead I re-purposed Spam into my cupcake-fied version of a loco-moco. Plus I've been toying with the idea of using a Yaki Onigiri as the base of a cupcake for quite a while. There's a "Japanese Eggs Benedict" recipe that's been brewing in the back of my mind.

So without further ado, let me introduce to you... the SPAMcake.

SPAMcake
prep 20 mins || cook 25 mins || yield 6 servings

1 tin of SPAM
3 cups cooked rice
6 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 small clove of garlic finely minced
Furikake or sesame seeds for garnish

First, cook your rice. Set aside & let cool. In a frying pan, lightly cook your slices of spam, so the outside is slightly charred but the inside is still pink. Place in a food processor (or use a bowl + immersion blender) and pulse until smooth. Add in the whipping cream & continue to mix until it's developed a creamy & spreadable consistency. Set aside.

In a metal cupcake tin, use a little bit of the sesame oil to grease the sides and then spoon about half a cup of rice into each tin, being sure to press the rice down firmly. Once you've made your "cupcake" bases, in a frying pan pour about a teaspoon of sesame oil into the pan on med-low heat and cook your yaki onigiri, carefully flipping them with a spatula, until the outsides are nicely browned & crisp. Set on a paper towel to drain.

While you're frying your rice balls, turn your oven on to broil. Crack an egg into each of your (still oiled, but add more if necessary) cupcake tin. Bake your eggs for 5-7 minutes or until the whites have cooked through and the yolk is a little runny.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat your sugar, soy sauce & garlic in 15 second intervals, stirring at each junction, until the sugar has completely melted & is starting to reduce. This is how you make teriyaki sauce! You want your sauce to be thick enough to drizzle, but not too reduced or it will turn to candy.

Assemble your SPAMcakes, first the Yaki Onigiri "cupcake" base, followed by a cooked egg & topped with your spam mixture (you can use a frosting piping bag for a pretty design). Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and finish the dish with a drizzle of Teriyaki sauce. Enjoy!

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It's Borderline Genius

"It's the best thing I've ever tasted" - Carson Daly

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