Once those long, warm summer days finally arrive, the thought of having a BBQ is incredibly appealing. With grilled burgers, salads, and refreshing drinks, a BBQ can be a wonderful way to host friends and family. But a good BBQ requires some planning to make sure everyone has the best time. Let’s explore how you can plan a fun and successful summer BBQ.
Beavis is Jake the Dog and Butthead is Finn the Human in this hilarious Beavis & Butthead /Adventuretime Mash Up T-Shirt. Get this fun design on a T-Shirt for just $19.95, or on other swag priced accordingly, at This Link!
Synthesa Gallery View, All Photos By Gail
Mere seconds after entering Lehmann Maupin gallery for Erwin Wurm’s latest sculpture exhibit, Synthesa, we were already smiling from ear to ear. We first became acquainted with Wurm’s delightful sense of humor when his sculpture Big Kastenmann had its residency at the Standard Hotel in October of 2012, so it was lots of fun to experience an entire gallery full of works that express the Austrian artist’s unique world view.
White Bucket (Synthesa), 2013
Synthesa is comprised of three new sculptural bodies of work. Those within the title series of the exhibition, Synthesa, continue Wurm’s investigations of volume and abstraction of the human form. For these works, the artist works with the classical figure in the manner of a traditional sculptor yet drastically deconstructs and contorts each shape, inserting unexpected ready-made objects to further the abstraction.
For Wurm, these works explore psychological conditions, manifested in the physiology of the human form. Here, Synthesa represents the synthesis of opposing forces, both physical and emotional, traditional and unexpected.
Kiss (Abstract Sculptures), 2013
Similarly, Wurm’s series of Abstract Sculptures challenge our accepted impressions of the world around us. For this series, the artist contorts sausage-like forms into bronze sculptures that evoke anthropomorphic physical qualities and movement. Pulling the reference from his daily life and childhood, Wurm re-envisions the classic frankfurter in unexpected contexts to challenge our perceptions of the objects in reality. True to Wurm’s practice, these works are both familiar yet strange and evoke pause and contemplation from the viewer.
One Minute Forever (Skull / Banana), 2013
The third series of sculptures is called One Minute Forever, inspired by his popular his One Minute Sculptures public performance art piece. Wurm evolves those works from instructive and performance-based ephemeral sculptures into One Minute Forever’s physically enduring series, in which Wurm re-imagines the original One Minute Sculptures using skeletal forms to convey the eternity of each pose.
One Minute Forever (Joghurt Cup), 2013
Through these works Wurm embraces the persistent yet fleeting nature of time and examines this force as a unifying factor of human existence.
One Minute Forever (Bucket), 2013
Synthesa by Erwin Wurm will be on Exhibit Through April 19th, 2014 at Lehmann Maupin, Located at 540 West 26th Street in the Chelsea Gallery District. Gallery Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Mondays by appointment.
Do you like Hot Dogs I sure do. Every dog has its day and July 23rd is National Hot Dog Day! According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (who knew such a thing even existed?), an estimated seven billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and every year, Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs each! Woo!
This year, why not celebrate your love of the Hot Dog with more than just ketchup and mustard? Onion Crunch, a new condiment that you have previously read about here on The Gig, was created to bring an end to the lack of innovation in the condiment category. I keep a jar in my kitchen at all times.
The Onion Crunch Dog (recipe provided below) is sure to spice up your celebration of National Hot Dog Day! I am going to post this a few days early so you can get out to the store and do your shopping!
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Onion Crunch® Dogs Ingredients:
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 large hot dogs, knockwurst or kielbasa
1/2 ounce cheddar cheese, cut into long sticks
2 Tbsp Onion Crunch®
1 cup refrigerated sauerkraut, drained, roughly chopped
4 slices bacon
Vegetable oil
4 long Hot Dog Buns
Tooth Picks
How to Make Them:
1. Prepare your grill for direct medium high heat.
2. Mix together ketchup and mustard in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the sauerkraut with the ONION CRUNCH®, set aside. Slice open the hot dogs, down the center, lengthwise, forming a deep pocket in each, but not cutting all the way through. Coat the inside of each hot dog with the mustard ketchup mixture.
3. Place a strip of cheese deep within the pocket of each hot dog. Top with sauerkraut and onions. Encapsulate the cheese at the ends with the sauerkraut mixture as well, so that no cheese is exposed (otherwise it will drip out when cooking).
4. Wrap a strip of bacon around each stuffed hot dog, securing with toothpicks at each end.
5. Coat your grill surface with vegetable oil. Place the stuffed hot dogs on the grill, stuffing side down. Grill for 2 minutes, until the bacon on one side is cooked, turn the hot dogs a quarter turn and continue cooking until bacon is done.
6. Remove toothpicks, place in toasted buns, serve and enjoy!
Behold, The Onion Crunch Dog
“I Like Mine Well Done.”
Tomorrow I’m traveling way the hell out to the nether regions of New Jersey to attend a BBQ. I hope that the host will be using Hot Dog Cookers like the ones pictured above. Because then you know it will be a really good party!