The Music Box Theater may be one of the best places in Chicago. If you ever are in this city, I suggest you make it a point to venture over there. On February 3rd I had the privilege to attend a premier of Ti West’s newest venture “The Innkeepers”, as well as, a follow up Q and A with an encore of House of the Devil afterwards. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been fanning out about this for weeks to any one within a 5-foot radius with enough patience to listen to me mumble.
Ti West is one of my favorite directors of the past decade, and I stand firm on the fact that I feel House of the Devil is one of the best horror movies to grace film in the past 10 years. Why such praise you ask? Well, when it comes to making a movie, the man just gets it. He has an eye for detail that is almost unheard of these days with young horror directors, he knows how to make an audience pay attention to a film by not settling for over used scare tactics, and his knack for casting and character dialogue might be the coolest thing next to a 24 hour Taco Bell. On top of all of that, the guy really is just a regular dude. He strolled into the Music Box event wearing a Thrasher hoodie, camo jacket, and Vans that still show remnants of wear of someone who still probably skates on a regular basis. All in all, the guy looked like someone I hang out with and probably has crashed on my couch at some point over the years. It was honestly kind of refreshing.
I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and it wasn’t just because I had popcorn and Cherry Coke in hand. The only thing I could have done with out was the “funny guy” with no tact who thought it was a great idea to randomly scream out some gibberish about Cabin Fever 2 during the Q and A. I mean REALLY you want to be THAT guy, because he isn’t completely tired of answering that question already. I’m assuming said guy must have had some neurological disorder that caused turrets of the mouth, because he then followed up his comment with something about Cabin Fever 2 being better than the first one. A disorder of the brain is the only thing I can rationalize as being the cause of such a statement. What are you going to do, there’s one in every crowd.
So yeah food….
The 7-7 Black and Brew Cakes
When adult life is calling with those crazy work shifts sometimes it’s nice to mainline a little coffee…or in the Innkeepers case a beer or two. Lucky for us, it’s 2012 and I found a way you can get your coffee, beer, and sugar intake all in one bite. Madeline O’Malley won’t know what hit her, or maybe she’ll want a bite too.
Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 Cups Sam Adams Black and Brew Coffee Stout
– 3 Eggs
– 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
– 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
– 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
– 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
– 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
– 1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
– 1/2 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
– 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
– 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
– 1 Mini Cupcake tin
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F and lightly grease a mini cupcake tin. In a medium sized bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cayenne pepper, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl mix together beer, buttermilk, and vanilla. Next, add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until fully combined. Place about 2 Tablespoons of batter into each circle on the tin, and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean. Frost with The Yankee Pedlar Peanut Butter Frosting.
The Yankee Pedlar Peanut Butter Frosting
It’s everything you could want out of a peanut butter frosting and then some.
Ingredients:
– 2 Cups Creamy Peanut Butter
– 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
– 1 Stick Unsalted Butter
– 1 Tablespoon Sam Adams Black and Brew Coffee Stout
– Small block of Milk Chocolate, grated to garnish
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Lightly stir in beer, and then mix in powdered sugar. Place a dollop of frosting on each cake, and then garnish by grating some milk chocolate over the top.
Makes 24
So for all of you readers who have had a chance to either attend this event or view The Innkeepers, what did you think?
Shannons website
