I’ve received emails, messages, and comments asking for small gift ideas for men lately. So here are some super-rad items that your man just might wet himself over. Oh, and a special note for all of you hyper-sensitive, “THIS POST IS TOTALLY SEXIST blah blah blah” people who are ready to pounce on me – it’s cool…breathe…if you happen to think these things are great and you happen to not be a male, that just means you’re super-rad too. Simmer down.

1. Gerber Compact Sport Multi-Plier with Sheath, Black

Always needed, always coveted by other men, always awesome Gerber Multi-tool. Yes please.

2. Smartwool Trekking Socks

I hiked through Honduras with these socks on my feet and I find myself rifling through my sock drawer, casting aside the lesser feet coverings in search of these prized pairs. If I were Bill Gates, I would put on a brand new pair of these puppies every day.

3. LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870

I can’t tell you how many crummy, plastic flash drives I’ve gone through or lost. This one is smaller, it’s metal, and it goes right on your keyring that is always with you. I want this one bad!

4. Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul

Men (and women) NEED to read this book. It’s a life changer that helps to explain what true masculinity can look like. I was given this book the day I was baptized. I don’t remember who gave it to me, but it’s the best book I’ve ever been given.

5. Joby Gorillapod Flexible Tripod for Digital SLR Cameras

The Gorilla Pod is cool, cool beans. It can be a sturdy tripod wherever you go without lugging around a huge one. It’s flexible legs will wrap around a light post, a car window, or whatever you can find to provide stability in situations where you just can’t handhold the camera.

6. Unbreakable Golf Tees

If his game is anything like mine…

7. Petzl TacTikka Plus 4-LED Headlamp

Whether it’s climbing around in caves or climbing around in the attic…so good to have.

8. Merrell Men’s Chameleon Iso in Bungee Cord

I’ve got the older version of these shoes and they are hands down, without a doubt the best shoes I’ve ever owned. The comfort and quality of these shoes makes up for their hideous appearance.

9. William Elliot Whitmore – Animals In The Dark

This CD is incredible. Careful though, he does say the f-word in it.

10. KINTREX Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer with Laser Targeting

For the gadget-obsessed cook who wants to know exactly what temperature that pan has heated up to before attempting to sear that steak! I got a good deal on one of these a while back and I’m surprised by how often I use it. Very helpful for all kinds of other uses as well.

So…there’s 10. I own a few of these things and I admit that I want all the rest of them. Hopefully this will help you if you just can’t figure out what to buy…or, to throw a significant monkey wrench into things…go to www.adventconspiracy.org and see what you think.

(I’ll be posting images of these items later today, but for now I am off to do some actual work)

Yes I’m serious.

I have to admit that my first inclination was to hide this ingredient in with something to the point where you couldn’t really taste it. I just don’t really like taking sweet ingredients and trying to turn them savory. Also, I pretty much NEVER like chocolate added into non-dessert dishes.

But…a challenge is a challenge and I am not willing to be shown up, at least not without a fight!

So here’s what I came up with using this stuff:

I started out with TEAM SAMURAI:

TEAM SAMURAI consists of Hoisin Sauce (which is sort of like an Asian BBQ sauce) , Soy Sauce, Sesame Seeds, Horseradish powder AKA Wasabi powder, and ground Ginger.

Also joining the party would be:

And of course…

First things first. I added canola oil to a nice, heavy pot…about 3 inches deep. I’ve also got a thermometer in there so I can tell when I get the oil to 350 degrees.

I always let the oil get a little hotter than I want because whatever you drop in there is going to lower the temperature.

Drop them wings in there for 15 to 20 minutes. I like my wings crispy…so I let them go for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir them about every few minutes. I’m doing batches of about 10 wings at a time. We are making enough sauce for at least 40 wings though!

Whilst the wings are frying, it’s time to make up our Chocolate Samurai Sauce.

I began the sauce by adding 1/4 cup of the Blackberry Fudge Sauce to 1 stick of melted butter. At first, I wanted to add about a tablespoon, but I felt like I would be cheating and just hiding this stuff. So…why not make it the star of the show right?

1/4 cup of Hoisin Sauce…which looks pretty much exactly like the Fudge Sauce.

About 2 Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds…

A nice big fat Tablespoon of Horseradish Powder…

1 Tablespoon of Ground Ginger…

2 Tablespoons of good Soy Sauce…

The juice from one lemon…

Stir it all together and give it a taste…

I like things pretty spicy, so I’m adding in about a 1/2 teaspoon of ground Cayenne pepper…

All stirred up…

Once the wings have fried for about 15-20 minutes, it’s time to let them drain on some paper towels:

Add a little or a lot of your sauce to a large bowl…

Give them a toss in the sauce…

Hit the wings with some more Sesame Seeds and some freshly chopped Green Onions…

And that my friends…is how you make Chocolate Samurai Wings!

Remove the Chocolate Sauce from this recipe and substitute in some honey…they will be fantastic!

Chicken Wings – Fresh or Thawed from frozen (anywhere from 10-40 wings!)
1 Stick melted butter
1/4 Cup Blackberry Hot Fudge Sauce
1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce
1 Lemon’s juice
2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Horseradish Powder
1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne

Personal preference?

I’d cut the fudge sauce to move these wings from a tasty novelty to something absolutely amazing.