My Contribution To "A Man, A Can And A Plan!"

I made this delicious casserole dish up one day when I was feeling inspired and I think it turned out pretty well. I was inspired to experiment by a cook book I own called "A Man, A Can And A Plan."

I refined the recipe after my first attempt to make it and cooked it up again last night with even better results. It was great! And so easy, even a kitchen-phobic man can do it!

Men, if you want to impress your lady friend (or even your imaginary friend) with your mad skills in the kitchen, give this simple recipe a try!

Kenn Hoekstra's Zesty, Cheesy, Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 16 oz. Box of Rotini (or Penne or Macaroni) Pasta Noodles
1 26 oz. Can Cream of Mushroom Soup (The big boy!)
2 10 oz. Cans Rotel's Original Tomatoes & Green Chilis (Not Drained)
2 5 oz. Cans Premium Chicken in Water (Drained)
1 Small Can Mushrooms Pieces & Stems (Drained)
1 8 oz. Bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

SPICES (To Taste):

Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Kickin' Chicken Spice (Optional, but this stuff is RAD!)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre-Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta as directed.

In a separate medium sized pot, mix together Cream of Mushroom Soup, 2 cans Rotel's, 2 cans of chicken (drained), 1 small can of mushrooms (drained), 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce and spices (to taste). Mix together and stir under medium heat until warmed through.

Drain cooked pasta noodles and return to large pot. Mix in contents of medium pot with the noodles in the large pot and stir until well mixed.

Pour combined mixture into large casserole dish and spread evenly. Top with shredded cheese until covered (I used about half of an 8 oz. bag) and cover the casserole dish with tin foil.

Place covered casserole dish in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 300 degrees to heat through and melt cheese.

Serve hot and enjoy! Feeds a small army!

OPTIONAL:

- If you don't like the spicy kick to your dish, you can substitute diced tomatoes for the Rotel's. If you're hardcore and you want it extra spicy, use Rotel's HOT tomatoes and chilis!

- Substitute drained chunk tuna for chicken if you prefer a tuna based casserole. Both are great!

- Use real chicken pulled off the bones instead of canned!

That's it! Easy peasy!

If you try this recipe and you like it, shoot me an e-mail or post a comment and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

So, You Want To Make Video Games?

My old friend Pat Lipo from back in the Raven Software days posted this on his Facebook page today and I just had to snag it.

This video is one of the most hilariously depressing looks at video game development I've ever seen! Check out SO YOU WANT TO WORK IN THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY and embrace the horror!

Remember the old U.S. Army ads that claimed it was "The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love?" Honestly, that's video game development. Is it as bad as this video implies? Yes. It may actually be worse, in some cases. But if you care enough about it to work on games despite all of the terribleness, you'll probably still love your job.

I know I still do, even 15 years later...

Treyton Kilar "Field of Dreams" Pepsi Refresh Project - Voting Ends 1/31/2011!

Please take a moment and go to: http://www.refresheverything.com/treytonkilar, sign in with your Facebook account or an e-mail address, and vote for the Treyton Kilar Field of Dreams project!

You can also text 105500 to 73774 from your mobile phone!

Project Goals

• Honor the memory of late kindergarten student Treyton Kilar
• Provide a new baseball field for central Wisconsin children and families
• Educate people on the deadly nature of drunk driving

Watch this video and learn more about Treyton's story:

Voting will take you less than a minute and it would mean a lot to me and to Treyton's family! The idea has slipped into 3rd place and only the top 2 ideas in this donation range will get funding. We can do this if we all act now!

Don't delay! Go vote now! And send a text vote in, while you're at it! GO FOR IT!

Thank you for your support!

Twitter Contest - Less Ambitious Movies!

The latest Twitter hashtag trend that caught my eye was #LessAmbitiousMovies! According to one of my readers, it originated with/was inspired by this Sporcle Exercise called "Lesser Movies." Awesome!

Not surprisingly, there were some real gems in there!

[ UHF's - Conan The Librarian ]

Some of my favorites...

- Conan The Librarian

- Raiders of the Ark That's Right Over There

- The Day Before Yesterday

- True Grits

- Attack of the 5 Foot Woman

- There's Nothing About Mary

- No County For Old Men

- Lawrence of Armenia

- Scott Pilgrim vs. A Couple of Guys

- None Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

- Slumdog Thousandaire

- The Two Commandments

- Alice in Cleveland

- Conception

- Dial M For Moviefone

- Planet of the Crepes

- Glad Max

- The B Team

- Patton (Oswalt)

- Cry Hard

- Partial Recall

- The Dark Night

- The Empire Turns The Other Cheek

- Schindler's To Do List

- Ace Ventura: Pet Owner

- The 4 Year Old Virgin

- Apocalypse Soon

- The Last Bartender

- Charisma Carpenter's: The Thingy

- Harold and Kumar Go To Burger King

- Forgetting Sarah Palin

- Tween Wolf

- Demonstration Man

- 20,000 Inches Under The Sea

- There May Be Blood

And, *drumroll*, my personal favorite...

- Dude, There's My Car!

Bonus:

- It's Not Deliverance, It's DiGiorno!

So head over to Twitter and check out the hashtag #LessAmbitiousMovies! Oh, and you can follow me on Twitter as well at http://www.twitter.com/kennhoekstra!

Update: Another "Best Of Less Ambitious Movies" List I found, plus Huffington Post's List of Favorites!

Amazon Kindle - I Joined The Dark Side...

Thanks to a wonderfully thoughtful Christmas gift giver, I am now the proud owner of the 3rd generation Amazon Kindle (in graphite, no less)! I did it. I joined the dark side. I joined the eBook revolution!

I admit I was skeptical. I was reluctant to try it, like many people, because I just love books so much. I love how they look and feel and smell. I love everything about them. But honestly? So far I love it!

Despite my tactile love for and emotional attachment to the physical nature of books, it's my greater love for READING in general that ultimately makes the Kindle so awesome!

The visual quality is great. I haven't suffered any eye strain and I'm not having any difficulty reading the text. The battery life, from what I hear, is close to a month! Be sure to turn off the built in wireless when not in use, though, if you want to test out that claim.

Speaking of wireless, the new Kindle 3 that I have has built in WiFi and 3G support, so you can browse the Amazon Kindle store anywhere you can get a cell phone signal. How awesome is that?

But the best part? I have TONS of books (and classic literature) downloaded to my Kindle and so far, it's all been FREE! I've managed to find The Complete Works of Shakespeare, H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe along with classic novels like Dracula, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Treasure Island, Huckleberry Finn and A Tale of Two Cities!

Want thousands of free books for your Kindle (or other e-reader)? Try:

- Project Gutenberg - The original source for over 33,000 free eBooks!

- Many Books - The best eBooks at the best price: Free!

- Planet eBook - Literature galore!

- Amazon's Kindle Store - Hundreds of free titles from the Kindle source!

- Ultimate Guide To Free Books - The title says it all!

It's amazing what's out there!

And when you start buying books, check out Amazon's Kindle Deal of the Day!

I honestly don't think the Kindle (or devices like it) will ever make me abandon physical books entirely, but in the meantime I am very much enjoying catching up on all of the literature I could ever hope to have...

Technology is amazing: thousands of books and all in the palm of my hand! And best of all? I won't have to box them up the next time I move...

QUAKE Arena Arcade XBLA Review Roundup!

As I reported earlier in the week, QUAKE Arena Arcade (my baby!) is now available on Xbox LIVE Arcade and the reviews and end user praise are starting to roll in!


Here's what reviewers are saying about the fastest paced shooter on the Xbox 360!

- SFX 360 QUAKE Arena Arcade Review - 4 Stars out of 5!

"Quake Arena Arcade is nothing but great addictive fun..."

"This game brings back what it meant to kick ass and taunt worthless opponents who think they have game."


- Game Focus Reviews QUAKE Arena Arcade - 7.2 out of 10!

"Good ol’ fast-paced Quake!"

"45 (!) Maps"


- Dealspwn QUAKE Arena Arcade Review - 8 out of 10!

"Quake Arena Arcade is blisteringly fast, packed with value and delivers a fitting revival of a classic franchise."

"Mad, crazy, brutal awesomeness..."


- IRB Gamer QUAKE Arena Arcade Review - 3 1/2 Stars out of 5

"This game was meant for big pile ups of flying lazers and gib showers..."

"Overall, the game does its job and you will get what Quake Arena has been known for. You can count on that."


- VG Revolution QUAKE Arena Arcade Review - 7.4 out of 10

"Best shooter on XBLA!"

"This game has infinite replay value if you want to play a classic shooter."

"If you have been a fan of this game then this is a must buy for you."


- Run DLC QUAKE Arena Arcade Review - 4 out of 5!

"For a while, it seemed like the project was in limbo, or that the developers were struggling to bring this classic franchise to Microsoft’s console. The end result easily squashed those concerns, as this fast-paced and frantic first person shooter has what it takes to become one of Live’s most popular games."

"Classic Quake experience, tons of maps, speedy online play!"



Don't believe the reviewer hype? Here's a smattering of what QUAKE Arena Arcade players are saying in gaming forums and on Twitter!

• "Quake 3 Arena for Xbox Live Arcade! BONER!"

• "I dare say it's the best shooter on arcade!

• "This. This is my Christmas day, right here, if I can wrestle the controller away from my Peggle-loving family."

• "I can say this about Quake... 1) The controls work beautifully. There's a button for a quick 180-degree spin! 2) It feels like Quake, even with a controller. 3) It's a BLAST."

• "Quake arena arcade is the shit. $15 well spent

• "Quake Arena for the Xbox Arcade is DOPE!

• "That Quake Arena game is amazing! I played it and loved it. Reminds me of when i used to play it on DreamCast and PC. So want!!!!"

• ‎"Picked up Quake 3 yesterday. They did a great job with the controls! I used to be super into the pc version for years, but adapting to the controller only took a few minutes."

• "Quake Arena on Xbox Live? ALL AWESOME!"

So what are you waiting for? You can give the demo a whirl or queue up the full version download through Xbox Live Marketplace!

QUAKE Arena Arcade Rocket Jumps Onto Xbox LIVE Arcade!

Pi Studios, id Software and Bethesda Softworks (and most of all, ME!) are proud to present, at long last, QUAKE Arena Arcade for Xbox LIVE Arcade!


The long awaited next-genified update of 1999's Quake III: Team Arena rocket jumps onto Live Arcade today, December 15th, 2010, for a suggested retail price of 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00)!

From the Press Release:

• Enter the Fragfest: Supports up to 16-player 'Free for All' and team-based battles over Xbox LIVE and System Link.
  
• Deadly Arenas: Lava-filled ruins, deserted military bases and the chaotic void of outer space are your battlegrounds.
  
• Quad Damage: Over 15 pick-ups, power-ups, items and runes to boost your health, armor, ammo and abilities.
  
• Become an Arena Legend: Compete in over 75 missions, challenges and boss matches, in your pursuit to defeat Xaero, the Arena Champion.
  
• Claw Your Way to the Top: Check your standings against other gladiators on the Xbox LIVE leader boards and earn up to 12 achievements as you fight your way to fame.
  
• Hone Your Skills: Create a custom bot-match in any arena, in any game type.

The game features:

• High Definition, Widescreen Picture!
• Fully customizable, re-mappable control scheme!
  
• Twelve never before seen maps alongside 33 classic id Software Arenas!
• All new single player campaign and single player challenge modes!
• 16 Player Multiplayer Support!
• Offline play vs. bots with greatly improved artificial intelligence!
• New Character Team and Sport Skins!
• Enhanced visual effects, including bloom and glare!
• Dolby 5.1 surround sound!
• Remastered Audio and New Music Tracks!
  

Hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband cause they’re QUAKE-in everybody out here!

You can give the demo a whirl or queue up the full version download through Xbox Live Marketplace!

Remember Rule #1: FRAG Anything That Isn't You!