CV of Justin Lang

Ingredients

for chicken:

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 1/2 chunks
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Vegetable Oil for frying

for sauce:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/8 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Cooking Directions

for chicken:
Place milk and egg in a shallow bowl and beat together. Place flour in a shallow dish, a pie plate works well, stir in salt. Dredge chicken pieces in flour, dip in egg and milk and back in flour. Heat oil (about 2 inches) in a deep skillet or Dutch oven to about 350 degrees. Fry chicken in batches until browned and chicken is cooked through. Remove to paper towel lined plate to drain.

for sauce:
In a medium sauce pan, add water, chicken broth, and vinegar. In a small bowl combine sugar and cornstarch together, stir into liquid. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and cook just until thickened. You can pour the sauce over the chicken or dip each piece of chicken in the sauce.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve it all over rice.

During the holidays, I purchased the Biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. i had my doubts about the book. Why read it, I thought to myself.  I had a pretty good understanding of Steve Jobs history. I have always had a fascination with the guy and followed his thoughts and what other people said about it him. So what was the point. The book could not have been more eye opening.

Throughout the book, Isaacson made it clear that while it is all about Jobs, Jobs had no say in the content of the book. This was a bit surprising to me as Jobs has always wanted to be in control and lead a private life. The biography is literately putting Jobs life and history out there.

While Isaacson was mindful not to take sides and trash or bash anyone or Jobs, he artfully words the life and rise to power of Jobs. Starting with the beginning of his life being an adapted child, raised by a loving family and growing into the man everyone became obsessed and scared of.

I have always known that Jobs was a tough nut. By the way he closely guarded his personal life, fought tooth and nail for perfection in his work and of his employes. Despite his roughness towards the world, when thinking and analyzing his method of leadership, it makes sense. While brutally honest, he demanded the best from his staff by embracing or rejecting their ideas. Those rejected went back and made it stronger and more towards Job’s vision. Rather than hand holding them, he forced them to think out side of the box and make something great.

It is a shame that this bluntness followed him in his personal life with his family and children… to a point. The book did show a softer and more understanding personal side of Jobs. That was only in his later years when dealing with his cancer and illnesses.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the look into his personal life as all we ever really saw was the brash and aggressive work side of Jobs. I recommend the book to anyone that has an interest not just in Steve Jobs, but the brands he created and developed, Apple, Next and Pixar. It’s an artful walk through the development of those companies and how a man so eager to achieve perfection made companies that will stand on their own well past him.

No real recipe, just some notes:

• Use firm bananas and cut into 1 inch sections. Leave the peel on for easy handling, and with a melon baller, dig a well in the middle of each banana section.
• Melt chocolate in the microwave and dip the bottom portion of the banana in chocolate and then dip it once again in either non-pareils or chopped peanuts. To quickly harden the chocolate, place dipped bananas in the freezer for five minutes.
• Fill each well with ice cream (I filled mine with vanilla chocolate chip) and top with whip cream and a maraschino cherry.

After a nice little “break” for the holidays, I am back at it again.  As this is my first post of the New Year, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! During December, I decided to light up the house, but not the traditional and tacky way with string lights. Instead I lite it up like a pro! ;) It was a simple setup with just two lights. An LED fixture to paint the house a color and then a leko projecting the snow flakes. It was kind of static, but still looked good.  I have already thought about plans for next year. Think animation!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp. unsweetened dutch cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar (or I used 2 Tbsp.)
• 1 1/2 cups (I used 1% milk)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp. oil
• 3 bananas, sliced
• whipped cream
• chocolate syrup, for drizzling
• chocolate chips, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, milk, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, eggs and oil until smooth.  (You can also do this with an electric mixer.)

Heat a large nonstick pan on medium-low heat, and grease with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup crepe mixture into pan, immediately the pan so that the batter spreads out thin into a large circle. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until bottom of crepe is light golden brown. Flip; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining cooking spray and crepe mixture.

To serve, spoon whipped cream into center of each crepe. Top with sliced bananas and fold each edge of crepe over filling. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and any additional toppings.  Serve warm.

If I ever get my own design studio/office/light lab, this will have to go onto one of the walls.  I am a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan.  I wish that it never ended. Though, good things do have to come to an end once and a while.

Preparation Instructions

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and refresh with cold water. (Skip this step if using leftover spaghetti.)

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Wipe out the pan.

Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the onions, Parmesan, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti.

Coat the pan well with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and distribute evenly in the pan. Cook until the underside is golden, turning the pan around on the burner occasionally to ensure even cooking, 3 to 5 minutes.

Invert a large platter over the pan, grasp the platter and pan with oven mitts and carefully turn over. Lift off the pan and spray it again with cooking spray. Slide the frittata back into the pan and cook until the bottom is golden. Slide the frittata onto the platter. Garnish with tomato, if using.

Olivia and Griffin made 33 shirts for my 33rd birthday this year!  This has been sitting on my iPhone along with plenty of other images for some time.  I thought it was time to share them.  I still have my 33 shirt and love it!  It was really nice of them to make the shirts.  It really put that smile on my face! thanks guys!

After collecting just a few different dessert Recipes, I decided to try one out today.  The main reason… nothing sweat to eat in the house.  After looking through all the different recipes, the Toasted Marshmallow S’mores Bars looked the simplest, and it was!  It took next to no time to make and super easy. The toughest part was measuring out the chocolate chips and not eat them all.  Timeframe, it was quick to!

One thing I do not agree with is eating them warm.  If you have ever cut/eaten a marshmallow, it is a sticky mess!  After finishing the bars, it says to cut them up, worst idea ever! The marshmallow sticked to everything and just was not pleasant.  I typically like my desserts a bit cold anyway, so into the fridge the pan went and a couple hours later, nice a stiff and easy to cut!  SO GOOD!

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3 1/4 cups flour, plus extra for kneading
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

For the coating:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 stick butter, melted

For the glaze:

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1-2 tsp milk

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and spices.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, water, pumpkin, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir until the dough comes together. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray and place the dough inside.
4. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
5. In the meantime, mix together the cinnamon and sugar, and melt the butter for the coating. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray. Once the dough has risen, shape the ball into a large rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into roughly equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball (I had about 40 pieces, but you may have more or less).
6. Dip each ball of dough into the melted butter and then the cinnamon-sugar mixture, layering them in the bundt pan as you go.
7. Once you’ve used all the dough, cover the bundt pan and let the dough rise again for another hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before turning out on to a platter. To make the glaze, stir together the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Pour over the bread while it’s still warm.