Venus Cooks: Shrimp Nachos

The game was coming on and I wanted to make something quick yet delicious. I don't cook anything ordinary, so what did I make? Shrimp nachos.  They were so good and simple. I improvise my recipes so here is what I came up with.

Ingredients:
5 corn tortillas
15 raw medium shell on shrimp
1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. adobo seasoning
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1tsp. celery flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions: preheat oven to 425. also, heat vegetable oil in frying pan for nachos.

shell and rinse the shrimp and dice them. combine diced shrimp, lemon juice, kosher salt, adobo seasoning, chili powder, lemon pepper, parsley flakes, celery flakes and garlic powder in a bowl. let the mixture chill (sort of like you're making a ceviche) while you prepare the nacho chips.

stack the five corn tortillas on top of each other and cut them into nacho sizes pieces. fry the nachos in vegetable oil until crispy. drain the tortilla chips then spread them on a baking dish. if the baking dish is not non-stick spray the baking dish with cooking spray. drain the mixture as much as possible first to avoid making the nachos soggy. spread the shrimp mixture and shredded cheese on the nachos, and place the tray in the oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!
AbsoluteVenus

W.A.R. and Peace

Gas masks, jumpsuits and Timbs, oh my!


Can I be anymore clear about this? W.A.R. << GET IT!!! You must if you are an advocate of great music. There are so many gems on this album, I play it on repeat daily. Even after listening to it for three weeks I'm still like "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what did he say?! Let me hear that sh*t again!"


Still Standing is my number one fave because it's so triumphant. The mighty horns on the track laced with Jill Scott's brilliant vocals and Pharoahe's vivid introspective about the various trials and tribulations that he has survived is soul-stirring. I swear I am going to have to choreograph a dance to express the grand emotion that I feel when I hear this song. The beat produced by M-Phazes is a masterpiece. Unbelievable!


Calculated Amalgamation is so apocalyptic, OMG! Good thing the song is brief because the rhymes on this record are so galvanizing they could spark a nuclear explosion! I can imagine a sole survivor journeying across barren lands to place a ancient artifact at the feet of heavily weathered statue of Pharoahe. One of the only figures left standing erect in the muck and mire that is the hip hop industry.


I hesitate to listen to W.A.R., the title track from the album, on my iPod as I commute into work each morning, for fear I will single-handedly ignite a revolution on the train platform. The drum kicks and guitar licks in this piece are the perfect accompaniment to the buck and brolick lyrics that Pharoahe and Immortal Technique deliver. The track produced by Marco Polo makes me mean mug everytime I hear it. When Pharoahe says "Population control, make the babies sick. RFID chips, RU-486," I am especially moved because I think of my 4 year old son and what his future will be like. From the air he breathes, the water he drinks, the food he eats, what he hears and sees, and the state of the world and his place in it.


When I first heard the pre-released singles from W.A.R. - Shine and Clap, I knew that the album was something special. Both of these tracks are anointed with soulful vocals by W.A.R. Media's resident diva Mela Machinko (Shine) and vocal powerhouse Showtyme (Clap). The Clap short film gives a poignant portrayal and mockingly applauds the actions of a misguided law enforcement system that is supposed to protect the people. Yet, it continues to victimize, enrage and disenchant the communities it serves. Black Hand Side is another wonderful collaboration featuring vocalist Phonte's smooth delivery over the mellow track produced by Mike Loe. Despite the social ills the song addresses, it has a healing quality like the brothers are gonna work it out. Another great collaboration by Styles P and Pharoahe lets us know that even though things are not all good right now, everything is going to be alright. Uplifting.


The Grand Illusion (Circa 1973) has great significance as I believe social media has an even greater influence than television now. The on-demand aspect of the Internet leads to the mass consumption of truth, diluted truth and misconstrued information, by choice. The song begs the question, what is REAL? and what is just perceived as real. And challenges us not to be fooled by the slight of hand - the distractions that entertain us in the midst of leaving us blind. The song urges us to look within for truth and inner peace. The whimsical nature of the track further conveys the enrapturing universe of mass media, the World Wide Web and hidden world agendas.


Pharoahe flexes his infamous lyrical dexterity throughout the album with a most commanding delivery on Evolve (produced by Exile). With the state of the industry, it is refreshing to hear this song. I believe that unseasoned music consumers are becoming complacent due to the lackluster display that floods the airwaves and music video programming daily. Evolve challenges the modern day emcee to examine their craft and to contribute to the health and depth of the art form rather than conforming to what's popular/what "sells". The Hitman jabs even harder at the ridiculousness that the music industry puts nauseating amounts of money behind.


Assassins is crazy! With 1, 2, and 3 - Jean Grae > Pharoahe Monch > Royce Da 5' 9"...what can I say?! You've just got to listen! I've heard Pharoahe say his verse a cappella before and my lip is still on the floor...so, him flowing over this M-Phazes banga makes it even more beastie! 


In Let My People Go Pharoahe takes his fellow renegades to church. Reminiscent of his vocal ability in Push (Desire), and The Life (the Styles P joint), he'll have you raising your arms in agreement while rocking to the organ infused sanctified beat. Haile Selassie Karate's (produced by Mr. Porter) organic feel of a grassroots movement in the hood to bring knowledge and nourishment to the people further feeds the mind with opulent rhymes.

Read enough? If you haven't purchased the album yet then this is only the tip of the pyramid. It goes much deeper. So take a listen, your soul will thank you for it!

I Dig This! Vol.1 Ep. 9 -- Night Catches Us

Amazing film! Excellent musical score by the Roots. Starring Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamie Hector and Tariq Trotter (Black Thought).

I Dig This! Vol.1 Ep. 8 -- Chip Fu | Endless Search

Chip Fu, known for his vicious machine gun flows, displays his velvety vocals in this smooth tune. Check it!

March Madness >> Workout Edition

I recommend this workout to anyone who wants that added kick in the butt. Because it definitely will kick your a*$!!! My goal is to go all 16 minutes of this circuit without completely conking out. I started yesterday and made it though three of six rounds of this madness without passing out. I pridefully went through the other three rounds, but struggled during each interval. Even though the workout zapped most of my energy for that 16 minutes, I felt quickly reinvigorated within the hour. My energy levels were high throughout the day and I even had the urged to work out again in the evening.

The warm up that Zazana has on her site is great because today I feel very little D.O.M.S. effects. Just slight soreness, which is expected when you start any new exercise routine, especially one of this level of intensity.

I've drastically changed my diet over the past week as well because of the recent knowledge that I have a slightly high LDL level. In all, I hope to lose a total of 15 lbs. And looks like I'm off to a great start because i've lost 3 lbs. already. It's probably just water weight I've lost so far, but it leaves only 12 to go!

I currently track both my diet and workout progress on fitclick.com Despite the somewhat clunky way in which each of the different tracking tools record your progress, the site has everything you need to keep a detailed diary of my results.

Pharoahe Monch W.A.R. 3.22.11 #wearerenegades

liveatbestbuy on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

I Dig This! Vol.1 Ep. 7 -- iPhone Excursions

Win three city walk iPhone applications to cities of your choice, courtesy of GPSmyCity.com. Correctly answer all ten questions about Chicago below and e-mail them to quiz@gpsmycity.com for your chance to win. It's that simple. Good luck!

1) Chicago is known under several names. How isn't it called?
a) the Windy City
b) the City of Big Shoulders
c) the City of Lights 

2) Chicago’s downtown area is known as ... The nickname refers to the area encircled by the elevated train tracks.
a) the Loop 
b) the Hook
c) the Ellipse

3) Chicago is the birthplace among others of McDonalds, the chewing gum giant Wrigley’s and the cell phone giant Motorola. What sport has been invented here:
a) 16-inch softball
b) baseball
c) squash

4) At the time of its completion in 1974 the Willis Tower was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years, How many states are visible from its roof?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5

5) Chicago is the third largest city in United States, its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland,"being the 27th most populous metropolitan area in the world. What American cities are more populous than Chicago?

a) New York and Houston
b) Los Angeles and New York
c) Philadelphia and New York

6) Chicago is home to the largest population of ... in the world, except Warsaw: 
a) Poles
b) Czechs
c) Serbs

7) In 1900, Chicago successfully completed a massive and highly innovative engineering project. Since then the Chicago River is the only river in the world that:
a) flows North in the Northern Hemisphere
b) flows backward
c) the only river in the world that flows both northwards and southwards across the line of the Equator

8) Each year, the Chicago River is dyed green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick is the patron saint of what country?
a) Ireland
b) Scotland
c) Poland

9) The Art Institute of Chicago has one of the largest and most extensive collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings in the world. Which of these painters was not an impressionist:
a) Monet
b) Cezanne
c) Dali

10) The University of Chicago is the site of the world's first:

a) atomic reaction
b) unmanned flight
c) extraterrestrial encounter